George Russell has come out with a statement to put back the F1 Imola GP heat by apologising to Valtteri Bottas and Williams.
Emotions were high after the F1 Imola GP, where Williams’ Russell came all guns blazing on Mercedes’ Bottas for the small twitch the Finn had, which resulted in a heavy shunt. The Brit agreed that he had every right to defend, but he felt, he did a bit too much.
In fact, Russell also hinted that Bottas did it because it was the British racer at his side and any other, he wouldn’t have done it. The Finn, categorically, put it down, while Toto Wolff called it ‘bullshit’ straight-up. The Brit’s reaction wasn’t hailed by many.
Russell noted that he will discuss with Wolff and Bottas during this week and it seems like, the talks have taken place, with the Williams F1 driver releasing a small statement after a reflection of 24 hours on it. He apologised the Finn and also his own outfit.
“Yesterday wasn’t my proudest day,” wrote Russell. “I knew it would be one of our best opportunities to score points this season and, when those points matter as much as they do to us right now, sometimes you take risks. It didn’t pay off and l have to take responsibility for that.
“Having had time to reflect on what happened afterwards, I know I should have handled the whole situation better. Emotions can run high in the heat of the moment and yesterday mine got the better of me. I apologise to Valtteri, to my team and to anyone who felt let down by my actions.
“That’s not who I am and I expect more from myself, as I know others expect more from me. I’ve learned some tough lessons this weekend and will come out of this a better driver and a better person for the experience. Now it’s full focus on Portugal and a chance to show what I’m really about. Thanks for all the messages, both positive and negative. They will all help me to grow.”
Here’s the whole from George Russell, Toto Wolff and Valtteri Bottas