George Russell has addressed the backlash that Netflix has received for showing what appears to be the Mercedes driver experiencing a panic attack after suffering from the extreme conditions of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was quizzed on how he felt about the Drive to Survive episode while speaking to the media, including Motorsport.com, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. However, Russell stated that he has no interest in watching the show and that he “doesn’t really care” how he is portrayed. He explained:
“No, I’ve got to be honest, I’ve not seen the episode in full. I did hear and I was fed back that it was like two extremes from the first half to the last half. But ultimately I don’t really care how I’m portrayed there.
“I care how I perform in the car and how I work with my team, to be honest. So, there’s always an agenda for the best storyline possible, and that’s just the way the world is with these entertainment programmes. As I said, I haven’t even seen it and it’s not something that concerns me.”
Adding more details about the tough Singapore race, Russell added:
“Again, to be honest, I didn’t even notice they were there. I’m just sort of so used to it now that they’re here, there and everywhere. Singapore was an exceptionally tough race for me last year. I think the body temperature was almost 42 degrees last year and when you think a fever is 40 degrees, 42 degrees in a race car is pretty exceptional.
“That was a tough one for me, and you know we’ve made some changes to try and make dealing with the heat better on the personal side but also from the cockpit side with the suppliers now working with Adidas – a huge help in that regard.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc also commented on the episode about his Monaco Grand Prix victory, titled Le Curse of Leclerc. Like Russell, the Monegasque has also not watched the latest series.
“No, I mean for me [the filming] was pretty normal. I also had Antoine with me, there was a bit of a share of content. Antoine is my videographer who is also taking a lot of stuff for me, so it was seamless and the Drive to Survive crew was not taking any place in what was a normal race weekend for me at home.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I haven’t watched the episode yet though. I will soon, I promise.”
When jokingly asked if his bank card was now working, Leclerc set the record straight, stating:
“It wasn’t written in sufficient funds,” he said while laughing. “That was a joke, but everybody took it so seriously. But anyway, my card wasn’t working.”
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