George Russell echoes Carlos Sainz gesture with heartwarming fan tribute at Japanese GP
George Russell delighted fans at the Japanese Grand Prix by wearing a special helmet sticker designed by four-year-old supporter Sogo
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Taking a leaf out of Carlos Sainz's book, Mercedes' George Russell added a custom sticker to his helmet for the Japanese Grand Prix, created by a young fan named Sogo.
The sticker, positioned prominently on the rear of the British driver's helmet, featured a holographic-style illustration of Russell alongside his self-proclaimed number one Japanese fan doing the now-famous T pose.
Sogo had been invited into the Mercedes garage to spend time with Russell and get a closer look at the Brackley outfit's 2026 challenger, the W17. The four-year-old fan revealed that he had been learning English to be able to speak to Russell, and explained that he had started karting.
Fans were quick to applaud the touching moment. "Little nods like this make the whole thing feel even more special for the fans and the driver," one wrote, while another added: "Oh God. Sogo buddy, look, you are gonna be with George today at his car. From Thea's unicorn and Sogo's T pose. "
The addition of the sticker to Russell's helmet follows in the footsteps of Williams driver Sainz, who kept a sticker from a fan on his helmet from the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix until the end of the season.
After answering fan questions with his team-mate Alex Albon, Sainz agreed to wear the unicorn sticker, named 'Sparkles', on his helmet for the race at Baku. The 31-year-old driver went on to secure his first podium finish with Williams in the race and so kept the sticker attached until the end of the year.
The Grove outfit later set up the opportunity for the fan, Thea, to visit the headquarters and meet Sainz.
Russell went on to finish the Japanese Grand Prix in fourth, losing the championship lead to his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who won the race becoming the youngest championship leader in F1 history.
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