George Russell Confesses to One Regret In ‘Heat of the Moment’ Imola Crash With Bottas

At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, George Russell did his relationship with the Mercedes team no favors. After he collided with Valtteri Bottas, Russell blamed the Finn, but team boss Toto Wolff was not buying it. The Austrian insisted that the Briton raced too hard against the older driver, and it cost both of them.

The FIA declared that the collision was just a “racing incident,” but Wolff had stern words for Russell. According to him, the Mercedes junior driver should not have taken risks, especially when up against one of the works cars. Wolff recalled Ayrton Senna’s famous dialogue, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are not a racing driver.’ However, he did note that the move was a little too aggressive for his liking.

George Russell changed his tune after gaining some perspective

In the immediate aftermath of the race, Russell kept insisting that he was in the right. However, in a recent conversation, he confessed that he saw the situation from Wolff’s perspective.

He said, “There was a lot of things I have taken away from it. I think firstly as a racing driver one of the rules is that you should never crash with a team mate and for me personally obviously Valtteri is a in a different car but I am a Mercedes-backed driver, I am in the position because of Mercedes. Lewis and Valtteri are team mates to me of sorts.

“I think that is one thing that didn’t go through my mind in the heat of the moment.”

A day after the race, a much calmer George Russell publicly apologized for his role in the accident. This was largely a response to his red-blooded reaction to the Finn when the Williams driver stepped out of the car. Russell acknowledged the stewards’ decision and kicked himself for reacting too strongly.

Despite this, the young Briton is not going to change his approach to racing. In his words, if an opportunity presents itself, he will simply take it and hope for the best. However, George Russell needs to learn to handle himself properly when things do not go his way.

READ MORE: Added Pressure of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Affecting Valtteri Bottas, Claims Former Teammate