Russell backtracks after spicy statements: 'Calling to clear the air'

George Russell caused a stir after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with his comments about Valtteri Bottas. Now that the Brit has calmed down a bit, he is opening the door for Valtteri Bottas again. The question is whether that door will be opened.

The battle between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell is fierce. Bottas has been fighting for years to keep his seat with Mercedes, and in recent years Russell has been knocking on the door. His performance in Bahrain certainly brought a lot of compliments, but Russell is still in the Williams, and Bottas in the Mercedes.

Russell lashes out

After the Grand Prix, there did seem to be some frustration there with Russell. After a crash with Bottas, where neither of them could be blamed, Russell lashed out at the Finn. He said he was not performing well enough at Mercedes and he had put their lives in danger with his action. Against Autosport.com he nuances those statements now.

''Valtteri and I will talk to each other and clear the air. Of course in the heat of the moment there are those kinds of emotions, but I have no intentions of holding a grudge or having a bad relationship with him. My aim is to clear the air with him, so we'll probably have some calls this week so we can put this behind us,'' said the Briton.

Tensions within Mercedes

It was not just about the incident though, but mainly about Russell's statements. He seemed to be hitting out at Bottas, who in his eyes is underperforming at Mercedes. Whether it's true or not we'll leave to one side, but it is of course remarkable that a junior Mercedes driver says this.

''There are no tensions between Valtteri and me. You can make of that quote what you will, but I think it was clear how I meant it. Maybe I'm wrong, and he's just really absolutely fighting for every position, and as I say; that's his right'', Russell concludes.