Lewis Hamilton & George Russell spark up friendship as they head surfing

British drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell appear to be getting on nicely as Mercedes team-mates, with the two taking the opportunity between the Australian Grand Prix and the trip to Imola next weekend to go surfing.

It’s the first year that Russell has been at Mercedes and, though the W13 has had some teething problems, he has done well to settle in and score good points, with him actually sat second in the Drivers’ standings at the moment.

Clearly, the team wants better than what they have had so far this year but they have done a good job at picking up the pieces from others’ issues and there appears a real togetherness within the Silver Arrows’ garage to try and turn things around.

That attitude comes from the drivers, too, with it clear Hamilton and Russell are doing a decent job and spending time together and building a bond.

Lewis, of course, is someone who likes to get up to all sorts of activities when he’s not at the wheel of a racing car and it appears he’s starting to introduce George to just some of those hobbies.

Indeed, they’ve been surfing and it appears Lewis does not want the action to stop there, with him eyeing up a skydive for his team-mate next:

Next up: getting @GeorgeRussell63 to skydive pic.twitter.com/yQHJ0HxsyZ

Hamilton, before heading to Melbourne, was in the Middle East skydiving and it’s clear his hunger for adrenaline does not stop at being a Formula 1 driver.

It looks like the two are getting on off of the track as well, then, and that only bodes well for Mercedes who obviously would have hoped the pair would hit it off in the right way after seeing Valtteri Bottas leave, given the harmony they enjoyed when the Finn was in the garage.