Breaking news
Formula 1
Russell insists Bottas crash won’t harm Mercedes relationship
George Russell is confident his Formula 1 crash with Valtteri Bottas at Imola is not going to harm his relationship with parent team Mercedes.
Luke Smith
Edited: Apr 21, 2021, 12:18 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Williams driver Russell collided with Bottas when trying to overtake the Mercedes car for ninth place in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, resulting in a big crash.
The incident eliminated both drivers from the race and brought out a red flag due to debris strewn across the track. It also caused Bottas’s car to almost be written off due to the amount of damage sustained.
Bottas and Russell blamed each other for the incident, but Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was unimpressed by Russell’s actions, saying he has “lots to learn” and should have been more mindful against a car from his parent team.
Russell issued an apology for Bottas on Monday evening, saying he “should have handled the whole situation better”.
Speaking before issuing his apology, Russell said he was confident that the incident would not have a negative impact on his relationship with Mercedes.
Russell has been a member of its junior programme since 2017, and is widely tipped to one day succeed either Bottas or Lewis Hamilton at Brackley, perhaps as early as 2022.
“It’s not going to harm my relationship with Mercedes,” Russell said. “I’ve already spoken with them, and there’s understandings from both sides.
“I’m sure from my side, when you are looking forward, you are not really taking into consideration of which car it is. But at the end of the day the move was absolutely on.
“It was only three-quarters of the way down straight and that would just have been a clear easy simple overtake, had it not been a little bit damp and that point.
“The point I pulled out, it wasn’t damp. It was just the track was going to the left, I was squeezed slightly to the right and that’s where the dampness was.”
Read Also:
- Bottas crash damage could cost Mercedes F1 upgrade push
- Russell apologises to Bottas after Imola incident
- Russell planning clear-the-air call with Bottas in coming days
Russell went over to Bottas’s cockpit shortly after the crash and asked the Finn “if he was trying to kill us both” before tapping him on the helmet. Bottas responded by raising a middle finger to Russell.
“Should I have reacted how I did afterwards, in the heat of the moment? Probably not, no,” Russell acknowledged.
“But as I said, the emotions are incredibly high. We’ve exchanged words and that was it.”
Russell is planning to call Bottas this week to clear the air following their crash, while Wolff also said he intends to discuss the crash with Russell.
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 Norris: Leclerc should have passed Verstappen at Imola restart
Next article Alonso: Playing catch-up in F1 is no excuse for current form
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
George Russell
George Russell predicts key Ferrari "advantage" at F1 Mexican GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
George Russell predicts key Ferrari "advantage" at F1 Mexican GP
George Russell on F1 title loss: 'This year won't break me'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
George Russell on F1 title loss: 'This year won't break me'
Latest news
MotoGP Malaysian GP: Pedro Acosta beats Marc Marquez in tense sprint
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
MotoGP Malaysian GP: Pedro Acosta beats Marc Marquez in tense sprint
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
4 h
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
5 h
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Martinsville
5 h
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
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