Russell « My relationship with Toto Wolff has strengthened since the incident at Imola
George Russell revealed that he has forged stronger ties with the boss of Mercedes after the accident at Imola. He speaks of tough love from the Austrian.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was marked by the impressive accident between the Mercedes of Valterri Bottas and the Williams of George Russell. In the gravel trap, the two drivers exchanged some words before continuing through the media, each accusing the other. Finally, the young Briton admitted his faults and publicly apologized the next morning.
After the race, Toto Wolff had added that he could determine the future of his driver. “I keep teasing him by telling him that he could end up in a Mercedes one day if he does a good job, otherwise we will put him in a Clio Cup! Today, I think we are closer to the Clio for him.”
Despite this statement, George Russell admitted in an interview with motorsport.com that the crash with the Finn had an impact on the relationship he has with Wolff.
« Actually, my relationship with Toto has strengthened since the Imola incident. There has been a lot of tough love. But, in the end, he wants to extract the maximum from me, or from what he thinks I am capable of. And, you know, I believe I am strong enough mentally to be able to handle that, take it into account and come back stronger. »
« Obviously, emotions were running high in every way. But, honestly, my relationships with everyone, whether it’s with people at Williams and a number of important people at Mercedes, whom I have spoken to, are better than ever. I think these difficult times often bring people closer.
The Williams driver was also questioned about how Toto Wolff had communicated his remarks to him. Russell revealed that he had taken the plane back from Italy with the Austrian and Mercedes’ technical director, James Allison, and that it was at that moment that the conversation began.
« We had a very good discussion about all of this. I took the evening to think about it, and the morning (of the next day). And, to be honest, during the whole week. But as soon as I got home on Sunday evening, I knew what I had done wrong.
« And it was not necessarily the accident, to be honest. They were not disappointed that I crashed, even if it was far from ideal. But, I believe that all the actions that followed were not up to my standards.
Remains to be seen whether this closeness between the two men will open the doors of the Mercedes team to George Russell.
