A row of people stand along the railing of a glass walled bridge high above Kuala Lumpur, facing a camera and recording a message. Behind them, two young men in Mercedes team shirts, one white and one black, walk quietly down the walkway and stop just at their shoulders. When the fans turn around, one man clutches his chest with his mouth wide open and a woman throws both hands over her face.
That is the whole of the eight second teaser posted on September 30, 2026 by @petronasmotorsports in a joint post with the Mercedes team. The caption kept the payoff back: “Time for a surprise, stay tuned to see how it all played out!”
The full version came two days later. On October 2 the same account posted a 26 second follow up captioned “They thought they were recording a message to Kimi and George, but instead THIS happened.” It opens with the two drivers speaking to camera, with Malay subtitles. “Hai semua, Kimi dan George di sini,” it begins, hello everyone, Kimi and George here, and they explain that today they are going to surprise some fans at the PETRONAS Twin Towers. Kimi Antonelli is the one in white; George Russell is in black.
Then the setup plays out. As the drivers walk up behind the group, the subtitles carry a fan’s message: “Hai, Kimi dan George. Saya doakan yang terbaik untuk kamu berdua,” hi Kimi and George, I wish the best for you both. A few seconds later Russell is standing among the fans for the camera, and the subtitle reads “Terima kasih banyak!” Thank you very much.
The rest of the follow up is the reactions. One fan grabs at his own shirt. Another covers her face with both hands while a boom microphone hangs above her. Russell grins over the top of the group and hugs a fan, Antonelli signs something for another, and the clip closes on Russell posing beside a smiling fan.
Where This Was Filmed
The walkway with the steel ceiling ribs and blue framed windows is the bridge between the two PETRONAS towers. Guinness World Records lists it as a double deck bridge at the 41st and 42nd floors, 170 metres above the ground, 58 metres long and weighing 750 tonnes, and describes it as the highest sky bridge between two buildings.
If You Want to Be the Fan in the Next One
Sponsor fan events like this one are announced, and changed, on the brands’ own accounts. A few things from the same account that week show what to watch for:
- Follow both the team and its partner. This surprise was posted jointly, and the full version only appeared on the partner’s account.
- Watch for venue changes. During the same week the PETRONAS account announced that, because of bad weather, its fan space was moving to the Promenade, Level 1, Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS, open daily from 10AM to 10PM through October 4.
- Enter the official draws. A PETRONAS brand account posted winners of a lucky draw for Mercedes caps signed by both drivers, so prizes are run through those official channels, not through strangers in the comments.
- If you are filmed, expect to be posted. The follow up shows a full crew with cameras and a boom microphone, so anyone taking part in an event like this should be comfortable appearing online.