Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas may have finished higher had he not fell prey to an unfortunate collision with Williams driver George Russell during the Imola Grand Prix. As both drivers blamed each other for the crash earlier, Russell has now offered an apology for the whole incident.
As per Russell, he should have handled the whole situation better. That said, he believes this incident would not affect his relationship with the team Mercedes.
“I think I should have handled the whole situation in a better manner. Nevertheless, It’s not going to harm my relationship with Mercedes. “I’ve already spoken with them, and there’s an understanding from both sides,” Russell said.
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We must mention here that Russell rushed to Bottas’s cockpit right after the crash and asked Finn “if he was trying to kill us both”. He even tapped on the latter’s helmet, to which Bottas responded by raising a middle finger.
Russell further added that his actions came in the heat of the moment and he should not have reacted that way.
“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.”
The Briton is planning to call Bottas during the week to clarify the whole incident. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stated that he intends to hold a discussion with Russell about the crash.
George Russell insists that an opportunity to overtake was right there
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The duo collided at almost 200 mph while heading straight into the Tamburello chicane midway. Still, as per Russell, he simply tried to cash on the opportunity to overtake.
“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.”, He said.
“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.”, Russell further added.
Russell stands as a member of Mercedes’ junior program since 2017. Besides, they have looked him at as a probable successor to either Bottas or Lewis Hamilton at Brackley within the next few years. Hence, we can say that Briton simply tried to secure his future prospects while issuing an apology.
Read More: George Russell Alleged Valtteri Bottas for the Massive Crash At Emilia Romagna GP
