George Russell is set to participate in the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend. The Mercedes driver had been feeling under the weather earlier in the week and decided to skip the media sessions in Baku to get some rest. He has since been declared fit for the rest of the race weekend. The British driver will also be wearing a special helmet in honor of marine life protection.
Mercedes has confirmed that Russell is ready to get behind the wheel of the W15 for the first free practice on Friday. This means that the services of reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will not be required. The Finn was on standby to step in should Russell be unable to drive, but can now continue his weekend without any racing obligations. Russell had already skipped his usual media duties on Thursday to focus entirely on his recovery. His place at the FIA press conference was taken by Kimi Antonelli.
Special Helmet
Earlier this season, Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc also had to miss a media day due to illness, but they too were able to recover in time to participate in their race weekend. Russell is following a similar scenario – taking a brief pause, but fit enough to appear at the start in Baku.
The Mercedes driver will also be using a special racing helmet this weekend. As an ambassador for the Blue Marine Foundation, Russell is paying tribute to marine life and the importance of its protection. The design features several endangered species, including humpback whales, sturgeons, and grey seals. “As their ambassador and as someone who loves being in the water, this holds a special place in my heart,” he wrote on Instagram. The helmet will be auctioned off after the race weekend to raise funds for projects that protect marine life.I’m sorry, but without the original text in the source language, I’m unable to provide a translation or perform the requested tasks. Please provide the text you’d like translated and optimized.I’m sorry, but the provided text seems to be a block of HTML code related to an Instagram post, which doesn’t contain any translatable content. Could you please provide the actual text that needs to be translated and optimized?
