Mercedes' George Russell feels no fan has the 'right to boo' any F1 driver when they are doing 'their best to have a career'

George Russell revealed that he, too, often struggles with abuse and unnecessary criticism from fans. After Lando Norris spoke up about the abuse he faces over social media, his fellow Briton gave an example from the 2022 F1 Canadian Grand Prix, where he had a fan boo at him for no apparent reason during the drivers' parade.

As reported by Autosport, the Briton said:

“I think as your profile raises there’s a lot of positives that come with it, no doubt. But there are also downsides to it that also take a bit of readjusting. In Montréal, I had somebody shout my name and boo at me. And I’m just sat in the car on the drivers’ parade. And it’s quite a strange thing to comprehend that this 35–40-year-old guy is booing at me when I don’t even know him. I’m just trying to keep myself to myself and just trying to do my best every single race I go to and put on a good show and be polite and pleasant to everyone.”

George Russell further said:

“So there are some things that you need to sort of get used to, and just accept that this is, unfortunately, the world and society we live in at the moment. And this is another example of something that needs to be stamped out. What gives that guy the right to boo at anyone? What gives the right for these football fans hurling abuse at the players? They’re just doing their job, doing their best to have a career. And I think that’s what a lot of people don’t really appreciate in this position.”

Several drivers have spoken about the dark side of being in the public eye and the impact this can often have on one's mental health.

---

"We aren't politicians", says George Russell amidst discussions about racism

Amidst controversies regarding former world champion Nelson Piquet's alleged use of racist slurs against Lewis Hamilton, George Russell claimed that he is shocked that F1 still faces such issues.

He emphasized that as sportsmen, drivers feel a duty to "educate people," although admitting that people should no longer need to be educated in this regard. Russell said:

“I think we’ve spoken so much about this over the past couple of years, whether it’s been mental health, whether it’s been to tackle racism or social abuse, and we are just racing drivers, we aren’t politicians of sorts. I think we all feel this duty to use our platform to not only help educate people, it’s also educational on a number of these topics for all of us.”

“But when it comes to racism or social abuse, I don’t think anybody needs education there. It’s just shocking to see it’s still sort of ongoing.”

In a similar situation, Red Bull junior driver Juri Vips was recently sacked by the team after passing a racist comment over a live stream.