George Russell says neither he nor Williams should “fear mistakes” and believes there is no reason to alter his approach in the wake of his crash in Italy.
The Briton spun and hit the wall under a Safety Car period at Imola while running in a position that would’ve delivered his first Formula 1 World Championship points.
After the race, it was reported that Russell sent a letter to Williams, which he outlined was more than a simple apology correspondence.
“It was not necessarily an apology letter; it was more a letter to the team,” Russell said.
“I often send my thoughts and views to them. Obviously first apologising for the mistake I made, which I felt was unacceptable from my side.”
Russell explained that after gathering his thoughts following the mistake at Imola, he decided he will not alter his approach forward, believing that taking risks can be just as rewarding as being cautious.
“Following that mistake it gave me a bit of time to think about… almost like the racing approach,” Russell stated.
“I think that racing sometimes rewards the risk takers but also sometimes rewards the more cautious approach.
“Last weekend perhaps, or more likely, I would’ve come away with a result had I taken the more cautious approach.
“But it then made me think where do you draw the line. Do you be more cautious on your qualifying lap? Do you be more cautious with the set-up? Do you be more cautious with a pit stop?
“We are all racers and we are all here to push the boundaries. And in doing that, mistakes will come along.
“And it also made me think – should we fear mistakes? I do not think we should. This is what I sent to them.
“Do I regret what happened? Absolutely, but will it change my approach this weekend and going forward? No, it will not.
“We are all here to push the boundaries because we are all racers and that is what we do when we go racing.”
