Fernando Alonso explains viral George Russell phone case photo in playful Mexico GP moment

October 24, 2025

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso has explained why George Russell features on his phone case.

Heading into the Mexico Grand Prix weekend, the British driver was spotted on the back of Alonso’s phone in a photo of the paddock board in which the two drivers are placed next to one another.

“What?!” Russell said to Mercedes when told about his unusual feature. “Is this real? Or is this… What me only? No, something’s not… I mean, me and Fernando, we’ve got a good relationship, but phone case relationship? No…”

As Alonso and Russell both arrived at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for Friday’s practice sessions, the Aston Martin driver explained how Russell came to grace his phone case.

“You want to sign it?” Alonso joked as he approached the Mercedes driver. “My niece took a photo in Miami and you’re unfortunately there,” he said, laughing.

“I’m happy to sign it for you if you wanted me to,” Russell responded. “I was sure it was fake.”

Alonso sits 12th in the drivers’ standings with 37 points ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix. Alonso’s 37 points, together with his team-mate Lance Stroll’s 32, place Aston Martin seventh in the constructors’ championship.

“I mean, we are very critical with ourselves,” the 44-year-old told the media in Mexico. “We have been underperforming for basically the whole of 2025. I think if we set a bar in February or March in the first race of the year and we think that it’s going to be the season we had and some low points as a team we will think that that was a bad season.

“So we don’t hide from the fact that we are not quick enough. But at the same time we try every weekend to do our best with the things we have available here on trackside. We try to deliver. Austin was 10th and we take that point. Sometimes it’s a couple of points but I don’t think it’s nothing to celebrate. It has been a difficult season and it’s going to be always like that.”