Russell looks back at Imola: 'As a rule, you don't knock a teammate off the track'

Looking back at the incident between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas at the Imola Grand Prix, the young British driver argues that he has learned his lesson, shining a light on his mental state during the incident.

"I have definitely learned that I have to deal with things differently afterwards," Russell begins, talking to Formel1.de. "I have to evaluate the entire picture before making a rash assessment." Russell unfairly blamed his colleague Bottas for the incident after the crash and came to seek redress from the Finn in an unfriendly manner.

"That's why I thought it was important to apologize to the people I let down with my behaviour after the race", Russell said.

Always worse when it's a 'teammate'

The added charge of knocking out a Mercedes car hasn't escaped the Brit either, although it wasn't something he was already thinking about during the Grand Prix. "As a racing driver, there is always the rule that you don't collide with a team-mate. But that didn't cross my mind in the heat of the moment", the Williams driver stated. "If I see an opportunity, a gap, then I'll try it."