MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 05: George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team looks on during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 05, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.

alex and lily in malibu - january 2023

We Stand Together.

he has WORKED to be a calm and graceful person who is polite no matter what. he immediately learned from and apologized for the Bottas incident in ‘21, even though that’s used against him to this day, and has talked about how he tries to point the blame more at himself now than others as he used to. hell, he’s also said 1000x that his whiny and angry radio moments (another point used to drag him) are because of the heat of the moment and he has defended other drivers reacting the same. the metaphor of bringing a microphone to your worst day at work makes total sense to me and is something he’s used to explain those moments.

and so this is why also, while I completely understand why people would want him to, I don’t always love comments about how George should “be more evil” or angry or mean. guys, he absolutely can be. but he’s really worked on that and tried for that to not be who he is. I really respect that. in a world where hot takes and lashings drive algorithms, and a sport where aggressiveness is often praised and heavily associated with how “masculine” a driver is or not, it’s a different path to try to be an emotionally regulated and professional person. I think this lends to the “PR Russell” allegations and that he is fake, but I don’t think working on yourself should be construed as “fake”. and a lack of anger in a man doesn’t make him less of one or less of a good athlete.