Marko Urges Mercedes’ Toto Wolff to Look at the ‘Bigger Picture’ From Bottas-Russell Imola Crash

Nearly one week on from the race at Imola, the biggest talking point continues to be the crash between Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and Williams F1’s George Russell. Numerous ex-F1 racers and pundits have sided with different parties and given their own opinions. Now is the time for Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko to do the same. However, the Austrian has given a refreshingly different perspective on the matter.

Instead of focusing on the negatives of the crash, Marko has urged Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to look at the positives.

He was quoted by Motorsport-Total saying, “I think Toto has to see the picture a little bigger. [The accident] made it possible for Hamilton to get back into the race.

“Without a Russell crash he would have lost at least one lap.”

The crash between the Briton and the Finn occurred only moments after Hamilton had his off-track excursion. Had the red flags not come out, it is likely that Lewis would have had to make an additional pit-stop to change his damaged front wing. That would mean he would have been a lot further back than P9.

Moreover, with two cars ruled out of the race, it gave Hamilton a chance to end with a podium. That might not have happened if Bottas and Russell were still on track.

So there definitely was a bit of a silver lining amidst all that doom and gloom for the Brackley-based outfit.

On the flip side, Mercedes lost out on crucial points

Although Hamilton managed to salvage his race big time, Mercedes will be ruing what could have been. Sure, Bottas wasn’t anywhere close to finishing on the podium, but a few points would have helped the team increase the gap to Red Bull.

However, they were lucky in yet another aspect. The fact that Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez also didn’t score any points. That leaves Mercedes seven points clear of the Austrian team at the moment.

But they will be hoping to increase that gap, come the Portuguese Grand Prix. It’s great for fans to be able to witness a proper fight for the title for both championships.

Who are you backing to come out on top? Let us know in the comments below.

Read More: Mercedes and Ferrari Strut Their Social Media Game by Following Latest Trend