𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

SHANGHAI — For a moment, George Russell was lost for words. In eight seasons in Formula 1, the Mercedes driver has become adept at answering all sorts of questions on all sorts of subjects — but on this particular topic, he didn’t quite know what to say.

On Thursday, Russell was told by a reporter in his media session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix that he was going viral on Chinese social media with the hashtag “Big Sister,” with quotes including: “You are like a big beautiful sister that you look up to and admire,” and that “his beauty is the pride of Mercedes-Benz.”

“They clearly know what they’re on about,” Russell joked. “That has caught me off-guard, to be honest!” He then told the reporter in jest to print off the quotes so he could keep them for the record.

The ‘Big Sister’ nickname, according to Reuters, comes from the Chinese translation of Russell’s surname, which is pronounced “La-Jie,” with ‘Jie’ being the word for elder sister. The way Russell has taken his young teammate and Sunday’s race winner, Kimi Antonelli, under his wing at Mercedes has only added to that image.

Another nickname that has emerged for Russell is ‘Racing Emperor.’ This originated from Baidu Tieba, a forum similar to Reddit, where a user called “Racing Emperor George Russell” impersonated a boastful and arrogant version of the driver, contrary to the real-life version. Ripe for meme material, the surprising popularity of the posts caused the “Racing Emperor” nickname to stick with his Chinese fans.

After winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and finishing second in China on Sunday, Russell tops the drivers’ standings, so far justifying the bookmakers’ tag as the preseason favorite for the drivers’ title. But beyond his on-track success, he is also experiencing a shift in popularity that was perhaps less expected.

Although Netflix and “Drive to Survive” are not available to watch in China, the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt was one of the country’s biggest box office successes last year. Meet-ups among dedicated fan groups for particular drivers, from current stars such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to even long-retired drivers like Kimi Raikkonen, at the track and exchanges of gifts and homemade merchandise have become core facets of the Chinese GP’s fan culture.

But it is Russell, the world championship leader who won Saturday’s sprint race, who has become one of the most popular drivers among Chinese fans.

A supporter holds a giant picture of George Russell’s face during the qualifying session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. (Jade Gao / AFP via Getty Images)

The uptick in Russell’s popularity was easy to observe around the track. Hamilton, his former teammate, has always enjoyed a strong following in Shanghai. But both the grandstands and the fan zones were populated by lots of bright blue caps in Russell’s trademark color, the vast majority being worn by young women.

Every tier of the main grandstand carried a stretch of flags emblazoned with Russell’s number, 63, and there were massive cheers when he got out of his car ahead of Saturday’s sprint race. Russell greeted the crowd with a wave before then receiving another raucous reaction when he took off his helmet.

“I’ve always admired the Chinese fans over here, because they’re so passionate and you get the craziest gifts,” Russell told reporters. “I opened a Chinese social media channel a couple of years ago. I think this is where the love has come from.”

Russell was the first driver to create an account on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, where he has become especially popular, fuelling its own lexicon and unique portrayal of the six-time grand prix winner. Russell is also very popular on Weibo, which is similar to X, and the app RedNote, despite not having official accounts.

A fan holds up a George Russell banner ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. (Luke Smith / The Athletic)

Russell’s surging popularity in China was clear in the fan zone behind the main grandstand of the Shanghai track on Friday during an organized ‘Team GR China’ meet-up orchestrated by fans across social media and messaging apps such as WeChat. Group chats with names like “GR63,” “TOTO” (a reference to Russell’s team principal, Toto Wolff) and “Team Princess George” help them stay connected in their shared fandom.

“George Russell, take the throne!”

63s at #ChineseGP – Day 1 Group Photo#GeorgeRussell #F1 pic.twitter.com/lKQAzRc3Dr

— 乔治拉塞尔中文站 (@GeorgeRussellCN) March 13, 2026

More than 100 fans attended the fan meet-up, all wearing Mercedes and Russell merchandise, as well as showing off their own homemade wares — from bags carrying Russell’s quotes to cards with photos of him, both now and as a child, and pictures of him dressed as an emperor. There were even plush dolls of Russell in a T-pose, which, after being used in F1’s intro titles two years ago, proved popular with fans across the world.

Some Mercedes team members attended the meet up with a few signed driver cards that quickly ran out, and were themselves inundated with gifts.

But Russell’s popularity in China is not confined to the grand prix weekend. To mark his birthday in February, some Team GR China members bought billboard advertising space around Shanghai to play fan-made edits. They also arranged their own unofficial birthday parties.

For race week, fans bought space on nine billboards around the city to show their support. The Chinese fan group also distributed its own flags, banners, stickers and bags at the track in Shanghai.

In the fan zone on Saturday after Russell’s sprint race win, dozens of his fans met to exchange gifts and take photos together. The Athletic asked one fan why she liked George Russell and her response was unequivocal.

“He’s amazing, handsome, and the best in the world!” the woman replied while flashing a smile, her friends all nodding in enthusiastic agreement, having already offered stickers and keyrings of the driver.

Russell shyly didn’t comment on Thursday about what fans said about his looks. But if he can continue as he has started the 2026 season, he could make good on the billing as being the best in the world. That would delight thousands of his new fans in Shanghai.