F1 stars get behind the wheel of an off-road adventure icon
When they’re not driving Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 cars, you can apparently find George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in rugged 4x4s.
Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Briton Russell and his rookie Italian teammate Antonelli got the chance to sample a track of a different kind, driving something at the opposite end of the spectrum to the W14.
In a promotional video, the pair get behind the wheel of the Ineos Grenadier, the off-roader inspired by the original Land Rover Defender, but refined with modern technology.
The pair drive the 4x4s at speed through an off-road park, with Russell in the Grenadier Quartermaster dual-cab ute, while Antonelli finds himself in the Station Wagon SUV.
Is this the best ute on sale today?
There is of course some irony behind the video. While Ineos - technically the petrochemical portion of it - is a principal partner of the Mercedes-AMG F1 team, Ineos Automotive relies on BMW for the engines in its Grenadiers.
The Grenadier is powered by a choice of two turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engines: one petrol, one diesel. Both are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission (supplied by ZF), as well as a permanent four-wheel drive system with a two-speed transfer case.
In Australia, the Grenadier is available in the aforementioned Quartermaster, five-seat Station Wagon and also two-seat Utility Wagon commercial guise.
Each body style is sold in base self-named, Fieldmaster and Trialmaster variants, while the Station Wagon gets a special ‘1924’ edition.
