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One day on from his collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Williams driver George Russell has apologised for the way he handled himself after the accident.
Russell flatly blamed Bottas in the immediate aftermath of the high-speed accident, which saw both cars destroyed against the crash barriers and the race suspended to clear up the debris.
After climbing out of his car, Russell marched over to Bottas’ wreckage and asked the Finn if he had tried to kill the two of them before slapping the side of Bottas’ helmet as he walked away.
The stewards opted not to penalise either driver, deciding neither was predominantly to blame for the collision, but Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said Russell, who drives for Williams but is a Mercedes junior driver, had a lot to learn from the accident.
In a post on social media on Monday evening, Russell admitted he had taken a risk in attempting to pass Bottas off the racing line on a damp track with slick tyres and apologised to the Mercedes driver and his team.
“Yesterday wasn’t my proudest day,” Russell wrote. “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.”