Untelevised team radio footage from the Mexican Grand Prix has revealed the moment Mercedes driver George Russell was left amused by the drama sparked by an incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Polesitter Lando Norris tackled the first braking zone four-wide alongside Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, from inside to outside; while the former two stayed on the track, Leclerc and Verstappen ended up cutting Turn 2, then emerging in first and third respectively.

George Russell pleaded his case for being allowed past Kimi Antonelli, but the call came too late for him to make a further impact.

Mercedes driver George Russell used a Lucha Libre mask to sneak into the crowd Friday during opening practice ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Listen to the latest edition of The F1 Show in full below as Turn One corner-cutting, Hamilton vs Verstappens incidents, Lando Norris dominant win and Oliver Bearmans starring drive are among the talking points up for discussion with Martin Brundle,

OK, when I hit a lob we both come to the net,” George Russell instructs me. “But stick to your side. Force them to play down the middle.” It is late Wednesday morning at the Centro Deportivo Chapultepec in Mexico City and I am getting a brief taste of what it is like to be Russell’s team-mate over a game of padel.

However, while the Italian’s deal appears more straightforward — likely to be renewed on a year-by-year basis — Russell’s contract could extend automatically into 2027 under performance-based conditions.

After watching FP1 undercover in a lucha libre mask, the Mercedes driver returned for FP2 and cautioned that the short, twisty layout will make clean laps critical in qualifying