George Russell celebrates Singapore GP win with Lewis Hamilton tribute

George Russell has replicated Lewis Hamilton’s memorable F1 race-winning photograph at the Singapore Grand Prix.

After the race in Singapore, Russell celebrated his victory in tribute to Hamilton’s 2018 Singapore win for Mercedes.

Like Hamilton, Russell sat on the start-finish straight after the race with his winner’s trophy.

In a post on his Instagram account, Russell captioned the photograph: “In 2018 I was with Mercedes in Singapore and watched Lewis take an incredible pole position and then win the race.

“I remember how he took a really cool photo on the track afterwards – and I dreamed back then of one day being in Formula 1 myself.”

Russell took a commanding win in Singapore on Sunday, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen.

The British driver produced two qualifying laps good enough to take pole position in Q3 and kept the lead at the start before controlling the race from the front of the field.

Russell benefitted from Verstappen’s poor pace at the start of the grand prix, which was due to Red Bull’s decision to start him on the soft tyres to retain track position over the McLaren pair.

Russell’s victory is Mercedes’ first in Singapore since 2018.

The 2018 Singapore Grand Prix proved decisive in the title race as Hamilton stunned title rival Sebastian Vettel by taking pole.

Singapore had been a bogey track for Mercedes, with Vettel winning in 2015 and taking a dominant pole in 2017. 

Many view Hamilton’s 2018 pole lap as one of the greatest qualifying efforts in the sport’s history.

Russell “more relaxed”

Russell has enjoyed an incredible 2025 F1 campaign. He’s consistently maximised the Mercedes package, taking on the role of team leader following Hamilton’s exit.

Russell feels he’s now more “relaxed” when driving compared to his first two years with the team.

“I think it comes with experience, just knowing how to maximise every situation,” Russell explained in the FIA post-race press conference.

“Probably a couple of years ago I was driving a bit more tense and probably over-pushing in circumstances when I shouldn’t have been. Now I just feel much more relaxed.

“Going into today, I was relaxed. When it was raining an hour before the race, I just said, you know, it is what it is. It’s the same for everybody.

“There’s nothing I can do, so there’s no point stressing about it. I think myself a few years ago would have been slightly different.”