Brad Pitt and George Russell's awkward incident before gatecrashed F1 interview
George Russell has explained that he had quite an awkward first encounter with Brad Pitt, despite the two seeming like best friends during a recent interview.
Pitt has spent a number of years getting to know the ins and outs of Formula 1, as well as seeking guidance from some of the sport's biggest stars as he filmed a new movie on the sport which landed in cinemas last month.
He initially attended the US Grand Prix in Texas back in 2022 as a guest with Mercedes, when he first met esteemed driver Russell.
Reflecting on the incident when asked if he has ever been left starstruck by a celebrity, Russell explained: "Starstruck maybe is pushing it a little bit, but the first time I ever saw Brad Pitt I wanted to act quite cool so I didn't want to take a photo with him as everyone else was.
"So I pretended to be on the phone and sort of took the photo on the side of my phone. I've still got it on my phone now and I wanted to show him in Austin because we had a chat but it slipped my mind so next time."
However, then the two met at the premiere of F1: The Movie last month in New York City, Russell wasn't quite as reserved. Pitt was being interviewed by Sky Sports when he spotted Russell approaching, before he said: "Hold on... what a weekend, dude."
Alluding to the Canadian Grand Prix which Russell won, he added: "What a great race. Dude, it was so fun... it was so fun to watch. Dude, real pleasure. We'll talk later."
All smiles, Russell exchanged a firm handshake and a swift hug with Pitt before he replied: "We've got the matching salmon shirt," referencing their similar fashion choices. To which, Pitt playfully added: "You texted. You said pink and I said pink? I said okay."
With one win and five podiums to his name for 2025 thus far, Russell will hope to bridge the gap on Drivers' Championship leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday.
Russell trails Verstappen by just 70 points with 13 races on the F1 calendar remaining at present. And given he started the British GP in fourth on the grid behind the RB star and McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, he has given himself a fighting chance to reign supreme at Silverstone and slim Verstappen's overall lead.
It comes as the Express reports Russell has played down any rumours of him parting ways with Mercedes for 2026, as Verstappen has been linked with a move to the team. The 27-year-old is out of contract with his current side at the end of this season, but he believes he will secure a new deal ahead of the new year.
He told BBC Sport: "The likelihood I'm not at Mercedes next year, I think, is exceptionally low," adding: "I want to continue with Mercedes into the future. The fact is, Toto [Wolff] has never let me down. He's always given me his word, but he's also got to do what's right for his team, which includes me.
"But it also includes the thousands of people who work for Mercedes. For me, it's nothing to worry about because I don't think I'll be going anywhere. And whoever my team-mate will be, it doesn't concern me either. I know where their loyalty lies. It doesn't need to be public.
"It doesn't need to be broadcast to everybody. I feel I'm performing better than ever. And it's as simple as that really. Performance speaks for everything."
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BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Norris gets to 'live that feeling' of being Silverstone winner
Lando Norris did not let a cut nose dampen his celebrations after winning his first British Grand might end up with a second scar on his nose, to match one caused by a glass cut last year, after a photographer fell off the pit-wall barriers and knocked the McLaren driver's winner's trophy into his face as he was trying to celebrate his Silverstone victory with the a little while later he was up on the fan stage, two strips of medical tape on his injury, with his team-mate Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive officer Zak did three 'shoeys', the celebration where a winner drinks champagne out of his shoe brought to Formula 1 from Australian sport by his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, and Piastri and Brown followed was the least he - and they - deserved after a demanding, incident-packed, intensely difficult race in constantly changing conditions between wet and dry, which Piastri would have won but for a controversial penalty for what was adjudged a safety-car will be stewing over that one for a while, but while Norris inherited the win, there was little to choose between them all weekend. And the Briton was pressing Piastri hard at the time the Australian pitted for tyres for the final time and served the had driven exceptional races, in a different class from the rest of the field, in a car that looked as impressive as it has done all season."Eventful race," Norris, 25, said. "It means a huge amount. Being on top in your home race is very, very special." Norris first started watching F1, he said, when Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were driving silver McLarens at Silverstone in 2007. He recalled that, as well as Hamilton's brilliant victory in the wet in now, with Hamilton and Alonso still in the field, Norris had taken his own win in a silver - well, partially, anyway, at least for this weekend - McLaren."Lewis won, and I got that picture of him going around and seeing all the fans standing up, and that picture of what an atmosphere in Silverstone is like, and dreamed of that for many, many years," Norris said."Today I got to live that feeling myself and see it through my own eyes. So pretty amazing, pretty special. A lot of people, from my friends and family, my brother, my sisters, my mom, my dad, my dad's parents."Every person that I could have here is here. So, yeah, more special than ever, 100%. And tough race to do it in as well." The win reduced his deficit to Piastri in the championship to eight points, and it was the first time he has ever won two races in a row. But he was wary of talking about the meaning of it beyond itself."You can always class it as momentum or whatever," he said. "I don't know. It's whatever you want to believe in the end of the day. I think it's still just one race at a time."I give my credit to Oscar at the same time because he drove an extremely good race."It's two wins, but they've not come easy by any means. We've had good fights, but they're pretty strenuous, exhausting weekends because you're fighting for hundredths and thousandths, and you're fighting for perfection every session and I'm against some pretty good drivers. So, it takes a lot out of you, especially when you have a race like today."I've had two good weekends and, of course, I would love to continue that momentum, but it still requires more consistency. Two weekends doesn't mean anything otherwise. And I just need to keep it up and keep working hard." Piastri penalty 'very harsh' The events of the day were demanding on everyone, but the way the race turned was, according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, "very harsh" on was penalised for braking hard in the middle of the straight as he prepared for the restart after the final one of three safety car periods. This, in the stewards' view, "resulted in (Max Verstappen's Red Bull) having to take evasive action to avoid a collision".Piastri was furious. But, wary of the stance the FIA is taking at the moment on drivers speaking out and not wanting to risk a further penalty or a fine, he kept his remarks well under control afterwards."Apparently you can't brake behind the safety car any more," he said. "I mean, I did it for five laps before that. Again, I'm not going say too much till I get myself in trouble."Piastri was bemused by the penalty, because all drivers know the leader's actions dictate things for those behind in this sort of situation, even if there are rules to issue seemed to be that he had driven in this way after the safety car had switched its lights off, the point at which the rules say he must "proceed at a pace which involved no erratic braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers".Piastri said: "I hit the brakes. At the same time I did that, the lights on the safety car went out, which was also extremely late. And then obviously, I didn't accelerate because I can control the pace from there."I didn't do anything differently to my first restart. I didn't go any slower. I can only comment on what I felt I did, which I felt was well within the rules, and I did it once already in that race. So, yeah. I don't really get it. I'll go have a look back." The contrast with the outcome of a very similar incident in Canada two races ago between Mercedes' George Russell and Verstappen was Montreal, after the stewards took no action, Red Bull lodged a protest, but it was dismissed out of said: "Going back to Canada, I think he had to evade more there than he did today. So, yeah, I'm a bit confused to say the least."There was also the feeling within McLaren that Verstappen may have 'gamed' the system by exaggerating how much it affected him."I don't think he had to evade me," Piastri said. "I think he managed the first time."Team principal Andrea Stella said: "We'll have to see also if other competitors kind of made the situation look worse than what it is."Because we know that as part of the race car, some competitors definitely there's also the ability to make others look like they are causing severe infringement when they are not."Verstappen said: "The thing is that it happened to me now a few times, this kind of scenario. I just find it strange that suddenly now Oscar is the first one to receive 10 seconds first."Was that because because there was no difference to what Russell did in Canada?"Well, to the stewards, yes," Verstappen end result was that Norris has now moved himself on to four wins for the season, one short of Piastri."I felt like I drove a really strong race," Piastri said. "Ultimately, when you don't get the result you think you deserve, it hurts, especially when it's not in your control."I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races later."Both have two weekends off to reset and refresh before battle is rejoined at the Belgian Grand Prix, the start of the second half of the season.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Lando Norris revels in 'dream come true' British Grand Prix win, while furious team-mate Oscar Piastri insists he 'deserved more' at Silverstone
Lando Norris called it a dream come true as he joined the royalty of national motor racing by winning the British Grand Prix. He recalled how as an eight-year-old he watched Lewis Hamilton triumph in the wet in 2008 by more than a minute. Now aged 25, he celebrated emulating him after a flawless – if fortuitous – win at a rain-lashed Silverstone. 'This victory is everything I dreamed of,' smiled Norris, whose title challenge is reignited as he goes eight points behind his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri with 12 rounds down and 12 to go. 'Being on top at your home race is very, very special. 'From a British perspective, I join a long list of pretty incredible winners – mostly Lewis (the record nine-time winner). To join him and continue the reign of the British at Silverstone is amazing. 'Looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet, your mind just goes pretty blank. The main thing is just don't f*** it up. I was trying to enjoy the moment.' His chance to become the 12th home winner of the race came when Piastri slammed on the brakes as the safety car prepared to pull in midway through the race. The Australian was handed a 10-second penalty for 'erratic braking' – a verdict Piastri, who finished runner-up, disputed. Norris, who started third, moved into second place when quadruple world champion Max Verstappen spun, and was handed the lead by virtue of Piastri's sanction. He then drove well in tricky conditions to prevail by just over six seconds. Saying that he did not cry in the cockpit, he added: 'It is a selfish moment, in a way, but so special and incredible because it is such a rare thing to feel. For me, it is my best win – maybe not the best way to win, but in terms of what it means to me, winning at home. Apart from winning a championship, this is as good as it gets.' Norris went out to greet celebrating fans afterwards and got an elbow in the face as a fence panel fell into the crowd, leaving with a small cut to his nose in the melee. Piastri was furious at his treatment. 'I hit the brakes and at the same time the lights went out on the safety car,' he protested. 'I didn't do anything differently from my first restart. I didn't go slower. 'It hurts because I know I deserved a lot more than I got today. 'I felt it was well within the rules. I don't really get it. I will go and have a look back. 'But Lando didn't do anything wrong so I don't think it would have been fair to swap us around, though I thought I should ask. It doesn't change much for the championship.' Piastri also lost to Norris in Austria a week earlier. The Briton is gaining strength, momentum rolling with him. Hamilton, meanwhile finished fourth on his Ferrari debut at Silverstone, with a late excursion off track costing the 40-year-old a possible crack at the third place secured by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg. 'It's only my second time driving this car in the wet,' said Hamilton. 'I can't even express how hard it is. It's not a car that likes those conditions. 'We have lots of data to take from this. I have to sit down with the people designing next year's car because there are elements that cannot go on.'
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Norris revels in emotional first home win
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