Toto Wolff has not reacted well to George Russell's accusations against Valtteri Bottas following their huge crash at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Russell was left furious after the pair collided midway through the race, causing them both to retire. Not only did the Briton accuse Bottas of trying to kill them both but he later suggested that the Finn had only battled so intensely for P9 because it was Russell who was involved. "I feel like if it was another driver, he wouldn't have reacted like that," Russell - long considered a contender for a Mercedes seat in the future - told Ziggo after the race. When asked about these comments, Mercedes team principal Wolff was far from pleased. "Well that's bullsh*t," the Austrian told RacingNews365.com and select media. Whilst avoiding placing the blame for the crash on either party, Wolff believes that such an incident should not have occurred. "The whole situation should have never happened," he explained. "Valtteri had a bad first 30 laps and shouldn't have been there. But George should have never launched into this manoeuvre. "Considering that the track was drying up, it meant taking risks and the other car is a Mercedes in front of you. And in any driver's development for a young driver, you must never lose this global perspective. So yeah, lots to learn, and fine I guess." Wolff added of Russell: "I don't want him to try to prove anything to us. Because one thing I can say knowing Valtteri for five years is he's not trying to prove anything." The team principal intends to discuss what happened with Russell, who has been a part of the Mercedes family for some time and previously impressed when he stood in for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. "I'm going to speak to George and make my point," Wolff said.
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