"Now there’s no excuse for me not to come"- Roger Federer assures George Russell of attending F1 races after retirement

Taking full advantage of a three-week break, George Russell went to the Laver Cup at the O2 Arena in London last weekend to watch tennis legend Roger Federer play his last and final match before officially retiring from the sport. Federer spent time in the Mercedes garage earlier this year at the Spanish Grand Prix and admitted that he has no excuse not to go for more races now that he has retired.

In a conversation between the two athletes, Federer told George Russell about a party at the end of Sunday night, to which the Briton responded:

“I wish I could join but I’ve got a big race next week.”

When asked where the race was taking place in the coming week, the Briton revealed that it was the Singapore GP, which is known to be one of the most physically demanding race weekends on the F1 calendar. Russell said:

“Singapore. It’s always the most physical one of the year with the humidity and the heat.”

When Russell told Federer that he should come for a race in the future, the Swiss tennis player replied:

“Now I have time, now there’s no excuse for me not to come!”

Speaking about his plans for the future after retirement, Federer added:

“Next couple of weeks off now, which is great so I can look back at what’s been going on and be with the kids and Mirka (his wife) and see what comes next. It’s good to have nothing [to do] and wake up and have coffee for a second!”

In a social media post after the tournament, George Russell praised the 41-year-old, emphasizing that he is "one of the nicest guys." He tweeted:

“Great to catch up with Roger Federer after the final game of his incredible career. Not just one of the greatest athletes of all time, one of the nicest guys you could ever meet too. Same goes for Andy Murray – seriously funny guy!”

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"Singapore could be interesting", says George Russell ahead of the upcoming Grand Prix

Mercedes are still chasing their first race win of the season, with George Russell unsure of where or when the team can achieve the same. He, however, confessed that the upcoming race at the Marina Bay Circuit could be "interesting" for the Silver Arrows despite having proven to be less suited to the team in previous seasons.

As reported by F1.com, when asked about the probability of Mercedes clinching their first win of the season this weekend, George Russell said:

“[I’m] not too sure; there’s no stand-outs that really spring to mind. Singapore could be interesting, but historically it’s a circuit where Mercedes have struggled a little bit, and we know at street circuits this year we haven’t fared so well. I’d probably say maybe Austin; I think Austin could be a circuit that suits us better – but I truly don’t know.”

“I think as a team we’re making a huge amount of progress at the moment and [we’re] understanding the car more and more. Hopefully, as we develop the car further, we can take some further gains.”

Mercedes currently stand third in the constructors' standings with 371 points to their name.