Russell reveals childhood Vettel fandom behind his new Silverstone grandstand choice

George Russell will have a dedicated grandstand bearing his name at Silverstone from 2027, with the Mercedes driver revealing a personal childhood connection to the circuit that shaped his decision on where to place it.

The George Russell Grandstand will be situated at Farm Curve, offering ticketholders views of the first four corners, the race start, overtaking opportunities into Turns 3 and 4, and the pitlane exit. Alongside a reserved three-day seat, fans will receive an official George Russell T-shirt ahead of the race weekend and access to the main stage performances, the Drivers Inn, entertainment zones, the F1 Fanzone, and the Silverstone Museum.

Russell turned down larger options elsewhere on the circuit in favour of the Farm Curve location. “There were other grandstands that were bigger that we could have chosen,” he said in a video for Mercedes. “But I wanted to choose that spot because you can see the most number of corners from that grandstand. I think that’s the best spot.”

The 27-year-old also acknowledged that McLaren’s Lando Norris had beaten him to the idea of a named grandstand at their shared home race. “I’ve been wanting to do it for a number of years. When Lando went in, I was like, ‘Ah, beat me to it!’ But still it was such a special place. It’s just great to almost give something back to the fans.”

Russell traced his affection for Silverstone back to 2009, when he attended the British Grand Prix as a young fan — wearing a Red Bull jacket and supporting Sebastian Vettel. “I was actually there in a Red Bull jacket, believe it or not, supporting Sebastian Vettel. I don’t know if he knows this, to be honest,” he said. He also recalled the era’s iconic foghorns: “There’s this image of me somewhere with this jacket over my chin with the foghorn, my hair down here, fully covering my ears and a bowl cut. So that was my first memory.”

Priority access to tickets opens on Wednesday 23 September, with general sale following on Thursday 24 September.