The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is throwing surprise after surprise, with the latest one being a massive high-speed collision between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell. What’s more, the red flag is out as well, as the tire barriers need a bit of checking to do along with the clearance of massive debris all over the track.
Hence, for the first time this season, there could be two standing starts in a single F1 race. But first, let’s focus on the drivers who were caught amidst the crash.
The Williams driver looked particularly pacy since the start of the race and crept his way into the top 10. Ultimately, it looked like he could finally secure his first points for Williams. However, his dream lasted only until lap 32, as the Briton crashed into the Finn on the main straight, taking both the drivers out of the race.
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As both the cars came to a standstill, Russell blew up over the team radio. He yelled, “What the f**k was he doing? Honestly, is he a fu**ing pr**k or what?“. Russell’s rage did not particularly stop there as walked straight to Bottas’ car to express his comments on the Mercedes driver.
And what did he get in return? Well, Bottas ended up showing the finger to the Briton. Hence, things haven’t really gone down well between the two, and the issue will fall into the hands of the stewards from here on.
What really happened between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell?
As the track started drying out, drivers started pitting for a set of slick tires, and Mercedes opted for a similar strategy for Bottas. However, the Finn struggled to fire up his medium tires, considering the extremely low track temperature.
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This gave Russell, who was then running in P10, a golden opportunity to jump past the Mercedes driver. Russell found a perfect exit out of the final turn onto the main straight. And with the help of the DRS, the Briton was right at Bottas’ rear wing mid-way through the straight.
However, while trying to get past Bottas, Russell ended up collecting a bit of grass, which left his rear unstable and spinning into Bottas.
What followed was an incredibly scary crash, as both the cars were torn into pieces, and debris of carbon fiber was spilled all over the first turn.
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Unsurprisingly, the stewards decided to bring out the red flag into play, requesting the drivers back into pit lane, until the track is prepared.
Overall, who is going to come ahead in this highly dramatic Emilia Romagna GP race? Only time will tell.