Russell reveals true purpose of “pretty special” F1 drivers’ Whatsapp group

Over the years, many fans have wondered what really goes on behind the scenes of the famous Formula 1 drivers’ WhatsApp group — “led” by George Russell and joined this year by Carlos Sainz, who stepped in to support Chairman Alexander Wurz alongside legal consultant Anastasia Fowle.

A few years ago, speaking about the group in an interview with Sky Sport, Charles Leclerc said, “if someone is unhappy with a decision or an incident, they make it known. We have a group chat where we often all talk together.”

Recently caught on the same topic in an interview with Formel1.de, the Mercedes driver added further details on the matter: "Well, it's not just one or the other (referring to whether it was more a group for serious matters or for fun), it's probably a mixture of both''.

"We all have a good relationship with each other - the Briton added - although some people's is obviously better than others. But it's a pretty unique chat group: Imagine if the 15 or 20 best footballers in the world had a group chat—you probably wouldn't see Messi and Ronaldo sending each other memes... so yeah, it's pretty special."

Mercedes also sealed a partnership with WhatsApp in November 2023, making WhatsApp the official messaging partner of the Brackley-based team and gave life to the iconic black Mercedes emoji.