Breaking news
Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna GP
Imola crash "scar" will make Russell better driver - Wolff
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has jumped to the defence of his protege George Russell after the Williams driver crashed out of the Emilia Romagna GP.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Nov 5, 2020, 9:10 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Russell was left distraught after he lost control behind the safety car and spun into the wall when running ahead of the Alfa Romeos that eventually finished in ninth and 10th places.
Wolff said that his current and past Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg had all learned from their mistakes, and that it would be the same for Russell, who has long been earmarked for a future with the Brackley team.
"That is all part of the development process," said Wolff. "What makes Lewis and Valtteri so special, and before Nico, was the experience they gained.
"I think everybody needs to put a car in the wall behind the safety car. We've seen that from the most experienced ones, and making mistakes under pressure.
"And I think what George has done today, happened to the best ones. It feels awful for him right now, but it's going to sink in, be like a scar, and he's going to be a better driver in the future."
Read Also:
- Russell: Imola crash the biggest mistake of my career
- Russell gutted over "stupid mistake" behind safety car
- Alonso praise "means a hell of a lot" to Russell
Former Mercedes and Williams technical director Paddy Lowe, who worked with Russell at both teams, also jumped to his defence.
Lowe referenced the 1991 San Marino GP at Imola, when Ferrari driver Alain Prost spun off and stalled on a wet formation lap, and was not able to make the start of the race.
Responding to an apologetic Tweet from his former driver, Lowe said: "Put it behind you, George Russell, you are in great company. Imagine spinning out on the formation lap in a Ferrari at Imola when already 3x champion. Everybody makes mistakes."
Haas driver Romain Grosjean, who famously crashed in similar circumstances behind the safety car in the 2010 Azerbaijan GP in Baku, expressed similar sentiments in a reply to Russell on social media.
"Man I know the feeling," said Grosjean. "Will take some time to forget it, but what you do is mega. Keep pushing."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Could Hamilton really be out of F1 in 2021?
Next article F1 teams to run definitive 2021 tyres in FP2 session
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
George Russell
George Russell confused by lack of pace at F1 US GP despite upgraded W17
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
23 h
George Russell confused by lack of pace at F1 US GP despite upgraded W17
F1 United States GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
F1 United States GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 3 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe