George Russell is making the most out of his summer break, just like every other Formula One driver this year.
Summer break in F1 officially started right after last week's Belgian Grand Prix and every driver on the grid is enjoying some vacation time with their family and friends.
Mercedes driver Russell has been spotted having a beach vacation with his family this year. He unleashed his inner Ken and posed for a photo sitting on a hot Barbie pink beach chair, with the caption "This Ken’s job is beach."
He was seen wearing a bright blue Miami Dolphins merch by Tommy Hilfiger. The luxury brand is an official team sponsor for Mercedes AMG and their driver Lewis Hamilton is seen wearing official merch designed by the brand on and off the track.
George Russell had a tough start during the Belgian Grand Prix as he had first-lap contact with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Russell qualified eighth for the race but tumbled down the grid to 11th place as his W15 suffered some bodywork damage. He was able to continue and somehow salvaged a sixth-place finish.
George Russell thinks Mercedes will have a strong second half of the 2023 season
George Russell is optimistic that his team can close the gap once the summer break arrives. Although winning the championship appears unlikely, closing the gap between Red Bull seems possible.
"I'm sure we're going to be strong in the second half of the season. We've got some little things coming after the break, but I'm confident we can secure that second-best team and try to close that gap further," he said after the Belgian Grand Prix (via GP Blog).
Earlier during the 2023 season, Mercedes's main competition was Aston Martin as Fernando Alonso scored back-to-back podiums and widened the gap between Aston Martin and Mercedes.
However, Aston Martin seems to lack pace in the last couple of races and Mercedes was able to overtake them in the constructors' standings. Mercedes currently is second in the constructors' championships with Lewis Hamilton in fourth and George Russell in sixth place in the drivers' championship.