George Russell believes his crash with Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas during the Imola Grand Prix has actually brought him and Toto Wolff closer together, rather than the opposite, with the British racer saying his relationship with Wolff is now “better than ever”.
Russell was fighting Bottas for tenth place during a wet race at the Imola circuit when the pair collided, causing both to retire from the event. The severity of the incident brought out a red flag as both cars sustained heavy damage.
With frustrations high, Russell and Bottas were seen exchanging words before the Finn showed Russell the finger, prompting him to take a swipe at Bottas’ helmet in response. A war of words then followed as both drivers addressed the media.
Russell eventually admitted fault and apologised publicly for his reaction, which he admitted was out of character and the real reason Mercedes and Wolff were disappointed.
“It wasn’t necessarily crashing to be honest,” Russell said in an Autosport magazine interview. “They weren’t disappointed with me at crashing – although it was far from ideal. But, I think, all of the actions following were not up to my standards.”
Many suspected the incident might hinder Russell’s chances of securing a Mercedes seat in the future, but the 23-year-old insists it has actually improved his relationships at Williams and Mercedes, particularly with Wolff, with whom he shared a flight home following the race in Imola.
“If anything, my relationship with Toto has grown since the incident in Imola,” added Russell.
“There was a lot of tough love. But he ultimately wants to extract the absolute maximum from me, or from what he believes I can achieve.
“But my relationships with everybody to be honest – from everyone at Williams and to a number of the key people at Mercedes, who I’ve spoken with since, is better than ever.
“I think often these difficult moments bring you closer together.”
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