George Russell did something shocking during Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he tried to overtake a Mercedes.
As Valtteri Bottas once again proved to be massively sub-standard, and in a truly abhorrent moment of being a racing driver, George was faster than him in a Williams, had DRS and attempted to get ahead on the run to Tamburello.
Yes, there was a risk due to the relatively narrow dry line after earlier rain, but based on the footage from Kimi Raikkonen’s car behind and the numerous overtakes that followed, there was just enough space for two cars to go side-by-side safely.
What Russell couldn’t account for, however, was Bottas moving to the centre of the track after he had already committed to trying the overtake.
As a result, the Briton was forced to put two wheels off the dry line, with the rear wheel spinning up on the wet track and slamming him into the side of the Mercedes at roughly 200mph.
Given how close Russell got to the side of the track, regardless of the conditions, it’s feasible the same crash could have been caused by touching the grass, which many thought was the case.
But unsurprisingly, after the hefty impact, George wasn’t impressed and confronted Valtteri in the gravel trap.
“I asked him if he was trying to kill us both,” he revealed afterwards, getting a middle finger salute in response.
“We were going incredibly fast, he knows the conditions. In his eyes, he is not fighting for anything. A P9 for him is nothing and for us, it is everything.
“I am making the move. The move would have been absolutely easy and he had no reason to jolt like that. It is a gentleman’s agreement between the drivers because we have always said there would be a massive accident one day.”
Offering his side of the story, Bottas said: “I was still struggling with the warm-up of the dry tyres, George could close, he obviously went for an overtake in a place there is pretty much only one dry line.
“I’ve seen the replay, there was definitely space for two cars all the time. I don’t know what he was [talking] about, trying to say something. It was completely his fault, quite disappointing.”
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To hear both blaming each other isn’t a surprise, even the stewards later deemed it a racing incident, but what was unexpected was just how harshly Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff rebuked Russell.
“The whole situation should have never happened. Valtteri had a bad first 30 laps and should have never been in that position, but George should never have launched into this manoeuvre considering that the track was drying up, because it meant taking a risk and the other car in front of him was a Mercedes,” he was quoted by ESPN.
“Any driver development, any young driver, must never lose this global perspective. Lots to learn for him I guess.
“I don’t want him to try to prove anything to us because one thing I can say, knowing Valtteri for five years, is that he is not trying to prove anything.”
So basically, according to Wolff, because Russell is a Mercedes junior, he should have sat behind Bottas despite being faster, and his reason for trying to overtake was to prove something…
Pardon the phrase but what a load of bollocks. When George puts the helmet on he is a Williams driver and, as he noted, his obligation is to do the best for Williams, not Mercedes.
Based on Toto’s philosophy this also means Nicholas Latifi, Esteban Ocon, and all four McLaren and Aston Martin drivers can’t overtake a Mercedes too because they have ties.
It’s not surprising that Toto wants to defend Bottas, after all, he is the current Mercedes driver, and if Lewis Hamilton does commit to the team for 2022 and beyond, the reality is Valtteri will likely be retained as well.
But given Russell is in line for a seat as soon as next year, what message does humbling him send?
And certainly, that appears to have been the aim in a statement Russell put out on Monday, as he completed a full 180-degree turn.
“Yesterday wasn’t my proudest day,” he wrote on social media. “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 I 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.”
It’s also clear Russell feels an obligation to put trust in and pay back Mercedes for helping him get to F1, even voicing confidence the crash at Imola won’t impact his future.
“It’s not going to harm my relationship with Mercedes at all. I’ve already spoken with them and, you know, there’s understanding from both sides,” he was quoted by GPFans.
But he shouldn’t be naive enough to not consider looking elsewhere soon.
Red Bull would probably snap him up in an instant if Verstappen did leave, while Aston Martin could be another appealing option should Sebastian Vettel fail to improve.
There’s even an argument Mercedes might not be his best option anyway in the future and that their demise as the top team in F1 has begun, but that’s for another day.
Russell is reaching a critical point where other drivers like Pascal Wehrlein and Ocon have seen their careers compromised by Mercedes mismanagement, and Wolff’s reaction after Imola doesn’t inspire confidence George will be next on that list.
Even so: “Mercedes have been loyal to me since day one, so that isn’t even crossing my mind at the moment,” he said last Thursday. “They have their faith in me, I have my faith in them.
“Time will tell. It’s been clear since day one since 2016 when I signed for Mercedes, to do the job on the track and the opportunities would come. That’s been the case through GP3, F2, and then with my career in F1.
“Obviously we signed the three-year deal back in 2018. Let’s wait and see. But at the moment, that thought hasn’t even crossed my mind.”