Mercedes Fans Furious As Team Ignores Russell’s Barcelona Podium While Celebrating Hamilton’s Ferrari Win

George Russell fans have been left furious after Mercedes failed to mention the British driver in their post-race LinkedIn debrief following the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Russell crossed the line in second place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, claiming his third podium finish under Formula 1’s new regulations cycle.
The result was also a landmark occasion for the Brackley-based driver, as it marked his 100th grand prix competing for the Mercedes outfit.
Despite that milestone, the Silver Arrows social team chose instead to celebrate former driver Lewis Hamilton, who won the race for Ferrari nearly 20 seconds ahead of Russell.
The Mercedes LinkedIn post also offered commiserations to Kimi Antonelli, who suffered an electrical shutdown with four laps remaining, ending his race prematurely.
Antonelli’s retirement in Spain was his first DNF of the season, halting an extraordinary run of five consecutive grand prix victories for the Italian teenager.
In full, the Mercedes post read: “A tough day for the Team, but fantastic to see our old friend Lewis Hamilton take his first win in Red for our oldest rivals Scuderia Ferrari HP.”
The statement continued: “We’re disappointed that another reliability issue has cost us valuable points with Kimi and it’s clear we need to strengthen in this area.”
Mercedes closed their statement by pledging to “regroup and refocus back home at Lauda Drive and come back stronger in Austria in just a few weeks.”
While images within the post did show Russell pouring champagne and posing with fellow podium finisher Lando Norris, the 28-year-old was not mentioned by name anywhere in the text.
Fans quickly flooded the comments section to express their frustration at the omission, with many pointing to Russell’s 100th race for the team as context that made the snub feel even more glaring.
One commenter wrote: “I’m not sure I see the fairness in this approach. I don’t know the full context behind your team’s decision, but I hope future posts can provide a more balanced perspective.”
Another fan remarked: “Congratulations to Lewis on a well-deserved victory. That said, George also delivered a strong performance, securing P2 in his 100th Grand Prix with Mercedes. It would have been nice to see that acknowledged in the team’s statement as well.”
A more blunt response simply stated: “Wow not mentioning your other driver that finished second, poor.”
One commenter tried to offer a defence of Mercedes given Russell started from pole and finished second, but that view was quickly challenged by another fan who replied: “So why mention Kimi’s DNF then? Completely ignoring your driver getting on the podium in his 100th race for the team is diabolical.”
Another pointed out what they saw as a contradictory tone in the post: “I think a very tongue in cheek post, *disappointed you’ve no mention of your second driver, the VSC wouldn’t of made a difference… it’s like a bitter well done.”
Russell had started the 66-lap race from pole position before ultimately finishing behind Hamilton, whose Ferrari victory came with the help of a Virtual Safety Car at his final pit stop.
Earlier in the season, Russell claimed victory at the Australian Grand Prix in March, though team-mate Antonelli has since emerged as the front-runner for the drivers’ championship.
GPFans contacted Mercedes for comment following the backlash generated by the post.
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