George Russell wears Lucha Libre mask while Vesti drives car in FP1

Mercedes driver George Russell slipped into the Foro Sol grandstands at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, donning a Lucha Libre wrestling mask to watch the opening practice session after ceding his car to reserve Frederik Vesti. With Vesti taking part in the mandatory young-driver outing that fills teams' required practice slots, Russell took the rare opportunity to observe the action from the fans' perspective rather than from the garage or pit wall.

In a behind-the-scenes video Russell posted, he explained his motive and showed the disguise. "Haven't watched F1 cars on track in years, so found a way to sneak into the stands while Fred was driving my car," he said. He sat among spectators in the stadium section as cars circulated, pointing out his own car on track and later telling reporters, "I enjoyed that a lot." Several nearby fans did not immediately recognize him.

Vesti completed the FP1 appearance for Mercedes and finished 14th on the timesheets. Russell returned to the cockpit for the second practice session and clocked a time that placed him among the top runners, about four tenths slower than the session leader. Team officials have used such rookie and reserve...