Riccussell: A Primer

This is a primer on possibly the most underrated ship in all of F1dom, Daniel Ricciardo/George Russell (a.k.a. riccussell, ricrussell, danorge, russiardo, possibly other names, I can't keep track).

WHY them, you might ask? Well...

  • ... because they are narrative foils in constant counterpoint to each other: George appears to have been under extreme pressure as a child while Daniel seems to have had a more relaxed family life; Daniel wants to project authenticity and appear his own person while George tries to be what others want him to be; Daniel has had a sort of fall from grace while George's career is on a clear upward trajectory.
  • ... because they give each other a place to find themselves and to be themselves, in an environment where to be one's true self is dangerous--and thus to experience normalcy in the deeply abnormal world of F1.
  • ... because they touch and flirt constantly.
  • ... because they make each other happy.

Hey! We have a Discord server for all fans of the ship to hang out, share recs, and chat about our boys. Message apeacebone on Tumblr if you'd like to join.

Abridged Timeline

  • 2014: Daniel replaces Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing, after driving for HRT and Toro Rosso. George wins the BRDC F4 Championship.
  • 2018 US Grand Prix: First photo of the two of them interacting (that we know of).
  • 2019: George makes his F1 debut at Williams Racing. Daniel moves from Red Bull to Renault.
  • 2021: Daniel leaves Renault for a three-year contract with McLaren.
  • 2021 Belgian GP: George gets his first podium in F1 after qualifying P2, when the race was red flagged and not resumed due to rain. Daniel tells George in parc ferme, "I gave you some love on the radio."
  • 2021 Italian GP: Daniel gets his first win at McLaren and the 8th win of his career.
  • 2022: George moves from Williams Racing to Mercedes.
  • 2022 British GP: Daniel signs the back of George's shirt. George asks, "have you just drawn a dick on there?" Daniel replies, "it's a love heart."
  • 2022 Hungary GP: George appears to hold Daniel's hand as they walk to the drivers' parade (McLaren Unboxed, "Hungary for More"). Allegedly, Daniel is told this weekend that he's being dropped from McLaren at the end of the year.
  • 2022 Belgian GP: George, Alex, and Mick go sit with Daniel while he is alone listening to music before the race. George goes first.
  • 2022 US Grand Prix: There is speculation that Daniel is being considered for a reserve driver role at Mercedes. Mercedes social media shares a picture of George and Daniel walking together, captioned, "not beating the allegations."
  • 2022 Brazilian GP: George's first sprint victory AND grand prix victory. Daniel did not finish due to a collision.
  • 2022 Abu Dhabi GP: George and Daniel swap helmets. George writes, "Danny, you're a good c***! The world needs more people like you! Cheers". We have yet to decipher what Daniel wrote.
  • 2023: Daniel begins the season as a reserve driver for Red Bull, then replaces Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri (later, VCARB).
  • 2024 Singapore GP: Daniel's last race, after which he is replaced at VCARB by Liam Lawson.

But wait, there's more... check out the full timeline here.

Or examine George Russell's career as an Enchanté model...

Fic recs

Author: Alasarys
Fics: A Courtship in Ephemera (multimedia zine, M, complete)

Author: apeacebone/Ossobuco
Fics: The means by which I waken (E, complete, 9k)
Choice in my hands (E, complete, 13k)

Author: NoelleIdle
Fics: Long Black Tulips (cyberpunk AU, E, ongoing, 23k+)

Author: strawberry-daquiris/peachbellini
Fics: second shot (AU, E, complete, 20k)
It's good to be a king (gangbang fest prompt, M, complete, 4k)

AO3 stats

At the beginning of August of 2022, there were only 12 works in the Daniel Ricciardo/George Russell tag on AO3.

As of 2025, there are over 80!

Stay tuned for more statistical analysis...