A lighter moment came up during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend between Mercedes chief Toto Wolff and driver George Russell.
In a live interview with Sky Sports F1 following the third practice session, Wolff found himself at the center of a playful prank orchestrated by none other than one of his own drivers, Russell.
The incident occurred on the balcony of the Mercedes motorhome, where Wolff was engaged in a discussion with Simon Lazenby, Naomi Schiff, and Nico Rosberg for Sky Sports F1.
Unbeknown to Wolff, Russell, observing the scene from above, began dropping peanuts on him. Initially unnoticed by Wolff amidst the seriousness of the interview, the situation quickly turned comical.
As something began to fall during Schiff’s question, she questioned whether it was raining. However, Lazenby quickly noted, “Oh, it’s George! You’re being heckled by George Russell. He’s dropping peanuts on you.”
Caught off guard, Wolff initially mistook the playful antics for fan interference. He remarked:
“I was just about [to be] getting angry with a fan and then it’s you actually… should I catch it [in my mouth]?”
The timing of this light-hearted episode was particularly poignant as both Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Russell, were under pressure to improve their performance.
In FP3, Russell lagged nearly five-tenths of a second behind Lando Norris and four-tenths behind Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Hamilton faced his own struggles, including a spin in sector three that contributed to him finishing tenth fastest by the session’s end.
The peanut prank not only provided a moment of relief but also revealed the team dynamics within Mercedes.
Hamilton went on to secure third position in the Hungarian Grand Prix, joining Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on the podium, who finished in first and second, respectively. Russell, who started the race from seventeenth, crossed the line in eighth position.
