George Russell showed his class at Silverstone this weekend after an unfortunate incident during the post-race celebrations at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Following his victory in Austria, Russell was spraying an oversized bottle of Moët champagne when he accidentally dropped it. The bottle shot across the paddock and struck my colleague and fellow Formula One photographer, Clive, on the leg.
Thankfully, Clive escaped with nothing more than a decent cut and a bruised shin. The biggest casualty, however, may have been his glowing white trainers, which didn’t survive the champagne and blood stains quite so well.
Fast forward to Silverstone, and George made sure to put things right. He sought Clive out in the paddock and presented him with a brand-new pair of Adidas trainers to replace the damaged ones.
It was a thoughtful gesture from George and the Mercedes team, and one that certainly wasn’t expected. Clive was genuinely delighted, and it’s always nice to see these small acts of kindness away from the cameras that remind us of the people behind the sport.
I’m looking forward to seeing Clive putting his new shoes to good use in the paddock at the upcoming races.
