Russell jokes about taking Antonelli drinking to derail his F1 title bid at COTA

George Russell has joked that a night out in Austin could be his best remaining weapon against Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who arrives at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday 25 October with a 102-point lead and a genuine chance of wrapping up the Formula 1 world championship.

Appearing alongside Antonelli at a fan forum ahead of the United States Grand Prix weekend, Russell leaned into the humour of his situation. “I could take you drinking,” he told his team-mate, in a clip that spread quickly across social media. “Actually, this could be a good way to beat you in the championship, to get you arrested on Sunday night.”

The line landed well with the crowd — partly because Antonelli, at 20 years old, has not yet reached the legal drinking age in the United States.

For Antonelli to seal the title at COTA, he would need to win the race while Russell finishes outside the top eight and Lewis Hamilton outside the top four — a specific combination of results that keeps the door open, however narrowly, for the championship to remain unresolved.

Russell, who sits second in the drivers’ standings, has been candid about his season falling short of expectations, and that self-awareness has earned him some goodwill among fans. “I really like Russell’s mentality. He gets way too much hate, but he’s accepted that this year he’s not done enough, and he just wants to get through it,” one fan wrote on Reddit. Another added: “It’s a joke, unless…”

Others were equally entertained by the moment. “Now George is starting to get the right idea! Really, though, I admire him being good-natured and joking about it,” one commenter posted, while another noted: “You can see the look on his face afterwards; it’s like ‘You know what, that’s not a bad idea. In for a penny, in for a pound.’”

The United States Grand Prix is the opening round of the penultimate triple-header of the 2025 season.