F1 fans applaud George Russell for "diabolical" Azerbaijan GP pit entry move

Formula 1 fans have applauded Mercedes driver George Russell for his "diabolical" entry to the pitlane, which contributed to his having the least time lost during a pitstop at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

On lap 40 of the race at the Baku City Circuit, the Briton pitted from P2 after Williams' Carlos Sainz, who had been previously running in second place, had already pitted.

His speedy pit entry and a swift stop from the Mercedes team meant Russell's time in the pitlane was 0.699 seconds less than Sainz's. Russell was in the pits for a total of 19.809s, while the Spanish driver spent 20.508s in the pits.

As a result, Russell came out of the pits ahead of Sainz and retained the position until the end of the race. Four-time champion Max Verstappen won the race, followed by Russell in second and Sainz in third.

Fans have shared their amazement at Russell's pit entry move on Reddit, with one fan sharing the footage with the caption, "Absolutely diabolical pit entry".

"I read on the official Formula 1 site that George lost the least amount of time in the pits. According to DHL, his pitstop of 2.3s was the 6th fastest. That tells you everything you need to know. Brilliantly executed by both the driver and the pit crew," one fan commented, while another added, "I said 'holy cr*p' out loud when that happened live."

Another commenter wrote, "George has been so impressive this year. He had a few seasons toe-to-toe with Hamilton and matched him but seems to have taken a massive step up this year. Until last year he was pretty mistake prone but I don't think he's put a foot wrong this season so far? And stuff like this? Madness. Give that man a WDC capable car and he's off."

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Mark Thompson - Getty Images

Other fan comments

"Saw it live and I almost thought he lost it lol, but brilliantly done!"

Another added, "I had my eyes closed and was chanting 'please be a good stop' lol. Boys really delivered!!! [sic]"

"George is quickly becoming my favourite driver," shared one fan.

"Without doubt one of the best drivers on the grid, why Toto is p***ing around with his contract I’ll never know? I think he’s the second best driver on the grid," another wrote, while someone else responded, "Yeah, I’d hate to see George leave Mercedes because the team is on point and their cars have been good, but if his contract is really that ass I wouldn’t blame him for leaving.

"He does deserve to be paid as much as Lando because I genuinely think he is a better driver."