Mercedes sponsor shares formal apology over Singapore GP podium celebrations after George Russell's win

Mercedes F1 team sponsor Petronas' (Malaysian Oil and Gas company) CEO, Tengku Muhammad Taufik, has apologized for involving himself in George Russell's podium celebrations at the Singapore GP when champagne was sprayed during the ceremony.

Muslim's are forbidden from alcohol consumption, and bearing this in mind, Tengku Muhammed Taufik has recently come up with a formal apology and admitted to his mistake.

In line with this, he has added the following via Petronas' official website:

"The recent victory at the Singapore Grand Prix was a much-awaited achievement in our long-standing strategic partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team in this season. I felt honoured when I was invited to receive the Winning Constructor Trophy on the team’s behalf." "However, I acknowledge that my spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment exuberance in celebrating that moment of victory may have been misplaced. While I can categorically state I did not consume any alcohol, as a Muslim, I should have been more aware of the sensitivities associated with taking part in such celebrations. Accordingly, I want to apologise for any unintended offence caused and take full responsibility for my actions."

Petronas has been involved with Mercedes F1 since 2010. From that point onwards, the Malaysian company has been in association with the Brackley-based team as title and technical partners.

In the recent 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, George Russell started the 62-lap race from pole position and nicely controlled it from the front to come away with a solid victory. Russell was followed onto the podium by Max Verstappen (P2) and Lando Norris (P3).

Mercedes boss impressed by George Russell's Singapore exploits

Toto Wolff - Source: Getty

While the Petronas CEO, Tengku Muhammad Taufik, has come up with a formal apology following his actions during the Singapore GP podium celebrations, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff showered huge praise on George Russell following the end of last week's race.

Toto Wolff was on Cloud 9 with Russell's exploits in the 62-lap race, and in line with this, he showered huge praise on the Brit via a post-race interaction with F1:

"I think we've seen George in the past with these moments, but not recently, and that's the step-up that he has made also this year, that these things don't happen again. He was in control of the race today, eking out an advantage, managing it when Max was a bit closer, and there was not at any moment a doubt that there was any risk in his driving."

George Russell is yet to sign a contract extension with the Brackley-based Mercedes F1 team. The contract negotiations have been going on in the background for some time, but an agreement has yet to be reached.

Only six Grand Prix events are remaining on the 2025 race calendar.

Edited by Rishabh Negi