George Russell was wet through after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix in grand style. Had he jumped into the Fountains of Bellagio, scene of the post-race celebrations?
No, and he cited a medical reason why not.
Blaming champagne as the cause of his soaked overalls, the Briton revealed: ‘This time last year I caught pneumonia after Vegas and Abu Dhabi and was ill all the way into mid-February.
‘I really wanted to jump into the fountains, but I was so cold after the race I thought I’m going to get super-ill again.
‘I was thinking back to the struggles I had because it’s such a toll on the body.’
Russell’s composed performance was worthy of his third career win. His Mercedes was inexplicably fast, but he used the advantage to devastating effect.
George Russell with the trophy after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix in grand style, the third victory of his career
Russell says he considered jumping into Fountains of Bellagio but changed his mind
He was briskly away from pole and survived the one wheel-to-wheel threat to his fortunes at the end of lap four, holding off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with clinical precision and defiance.
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton did very well from 10th on the grid – a poor qualifying performance by him – to finish second, as he passed three cars on the track and the Ferraris in the pits.
‘That was honestly one of the most enjoyable races,’ said the seven-time world champion, who bounced back from his nightmare in Brazil a fortnight earlier when he struggled in the wet.
‘If I’d started pole and just led the way it wouldn’t have felt as much fun. Of course, winning a grand prix is always a great thing, but facing adversity and battling through feels so much better when you do succeed.’
As for Russell to triumph as Max Verstappen secured the world title, it was a case of a bad day to bury good news.