George Russell jokes about injury after cutting himself on the Mercedes W17. George Russell picked up a cut to his left leg during the Barcelona shakedown.

Over the past few hours, Mercedes shared a curious video involving George Russell. The British driver was the victim of a moment of inattention that resulted in a cut to his left leg.

In the video, George Russell shows the injury and also explains how it happened. Formula 1 cars are made up of components that are extremely sharp and angular, and as a result they can be surprisingly dangerous. George Russell can certainly say he experienced that first-hand. The driver, most likely as he was about to climb into the car during the final shakedown in Barcelona, accidentally hit the W17’s bargeboard with his left leg, cutting himself in the process.

Some frames from the video

The footage helps to underline just how sharp some of the bodywork elements on a Formula 1 car can be. Russell suffered the cut despite wearing his full racing suit, a detail that further highlights how unforgiving these components can be.

The video also features a light-hearted exchange with his Mercedes colleagues, during which Russell jokes about the incident by saying he cut himself after kicking the car: “I kicked the car.” At the very least, the mishap did not wipe the smile off the driver’s face. Russell appeared in good spirits and clearly pleased with how the Mercedes W17 performed during the Barcelona shakedown.

The incident involving George Russell’s leg injury highlights the dangerous physical reality of working with ultra-thin carbon fiber components, yet his positive attitude reinforces the strong confidence Mercedes has in its new W17 project. This brief mishap is just a small footnote in an otherwise dominant testing performance that sees the team heading into the new era with a clear spring in their step.