“You’re Always Topless!” – WATCH George Russell Prep Alex Albon To Replace Him at Williams F1

George Russell is known for a lot of things: his mastery of wet tracks, his Mr. Saturday- qualifying pace, and of course, topless Instagram selfies and big sunglasses. Thus, the icon that is Russell will shift from the Williams team shirt and white pants to the Tommy Hilfiger style of Mercedes. This only means Alex Albon has big shoes to fill. And while we don’t know about the shoe size, Russell sorted Albon with a pair of white pants, to begin with.

In a heartwarming welcome, the Russell gifted his successor a basket full of George-esque items. Firstly, and most obviously, a book on PowerPoint; “I had the 2018 version… this is updated, you’ll go further than I did,” explained the Brit.

Then came a GR63 cap, one Albon threatened to throw in the trash, and then Russell’s Williams’ uniform of white jeans. This, Albon appreciated: “This what quite an expense that you forked out!” Completing the look, Russell also gave Albon a pair of chunky sunglasses to pull off.

With a bottle and two passes (one to Albono and one for Alex Albon) to round it off, Albon also waved the George Russell flag, one he hoped to attach to his tub “like a diplomat.”

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Albon loved the gesture, claiming, “this is all I need to become a Williams driver”; but not before taking a dig at Russell: “I don’t think I’ll be needing a shirt, obliviously…cause you’re always topless!”

Why Alex Albon owes George Russell a couple of beers

Russell and Albon go way back to their karting days and have seen each other grow. When news of Russell’s move to Mercedes was out, the candidates for the Williams seat were many. However, Russell may have played a part in pitching his friend to the big names at Grove.

Albon has disclosed, “I would almost say [he was] too supportive, as I remember that the board guys saying like, ‘you know we can’t really take George’s opinion because he’s so supportive of you’, so it was very funny about that.”

Thus, Albon had an idea of what to get his friend in return. “I owe him a couple of beers. Hopefully, we’ll grab dinner and we can celebrate our moves together.”

However, it looks like Russell had to wait for a long time to cash in the bubbly. “He hasn’t bought me that pint yet,” he said in October. However, he was willing to wait. “We will save that until the end of the season and I guess have a bit of a celebration properly when the time is right. Not yet–I’m still waiting.”

Maybe the Heineken shared before the big Williams handover makes up for it! An exciting season awaits the two friends, as Russell finally moves to a well-deserved seat at Mercedes and Albon makes his F1 return- better equipped than the first time around.

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