Russell: My relationship with Mercedes is intact after Imola

It's all about George Russell and Mercedes. At least that's what the pilot says. Williams, who returned at length to his behavior after his retirement at the last GP of Emilia-Romagna. 

The Briton had tried to overtake the Mercedes Valtteri Bottas approaching Tamburello for 9th place but the maneuver ended with a spectacular collision between the two cars, which resulted in a half-hour red flag. 

Beyond the hanging itself, it is the exit from Russell at the television microphone which caused a lot of ink to flow, in particular his allusions that Bottas would have acted deliberately against a rival who is legitimately eyeing his seat in 2022. 

The attitude hardly pleased Toto wolff, team principal and CEO of the Mercedes team, who brought Russell into the Étoile young driver sector at the start of 2017 and is following his progress closely. “ He has a lot to learn », had asserted the Austrian. 

Russell quickly backpedaled by issuing a public apology the day after the race. 

« The accident is one thing, it is part of the motorsport hazards, he declared from Portugal. I think my actions after the fact do not reflect my true personality. I went against my nature and let emotions take over. This was a serious error of judgment in the heat of the moment, which had further consequences later that day. Hence the message published Monday morning. 

I was coming out of a big accident at 350 km/h and I had never been so on edge. It was a real lesson. You have to know how to take the time to breathe, to take a step aside, to analyze the situation from all angles to study it rationally. ». 

Russell confirmed that he and Wolff had “ exchanged at length » after the incident but he did not want to reveal the content of the discussions. 

« He gave me immense support and was very constructive, Russell still clarified. Our relationship did not suffer at all from this incident. In fact, the opposite happened. Same at Williams where they want to see me attack and seize opportunities ». 

At Imola, Wolff suggested that Russell should have shown patience and caution when overtaking a Mercedes. The Williams driver assured this Thursday that he had not received instructions to curb his enthusiasm when it comes to facing a W12.