George Russell produced a fine display to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix (Image: The Associated Press)
has revealed a past battle with pneumonia stopped him from celebrating his stunning Las Vegas Grand Prix victory with a splash in the iconic Bellagio fountains.
The 26-year-old British driver, who secured his third career win on Saturday night, led a dominant performance to finish ahead of team-mate .
“I really wanted to do it (jump in the fountains), but I was so cold after the race I thought I would get super ill,” Russell shared. “This time last year I actually caught pneumonia and I was ill all the way into mid-February after Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
“So I was like, ‘I really want to do it’, but then I was thinking back to the struggles I had this time 12 months ago because it took such a toll on the body.”
Lewis Hamilton joined his team-mate George Russell on the podium (Image: The Associated Press)
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His victory, which was never in serious doubt after a perfect start from pole position, puts him nine points ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings.
Hamilton, meanwhile, climbed from 10th to secure a British one-two for the team, overcoming earlier qualifying errors that had compromised his starting position.
“If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today,” said Hamilton, who has just two more races with before to his high-profile switch to .
“But it’s OK. I had fun coming from the back. We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend but that’s the nice. That’s the best the car has ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.”