<p>IMOLA, Italy — As well as damaging his car, George Russell could have damaged his Mercedes future after a high-speed crash with Valtteri Bottas at Imola on Sunday.</p>
<p>Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Russell still has “lots to learn.”</p>
<p>The 23-year-old Russell is in his final season with Williams and has been tipped for a Mercedes seat in 2022, possibly as a replacement for Bottas.</p>
<p>Russell has been part of the Mercedes’ young driver program since 2017 but did his immediate future with the Formula One team no favors after a crash with Bottas on lap 34 of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lewis-hamilton-lando-norris-valtteri-bottas-max-verstappen-formula-one-6a01ab2b28b94e8e3897e61f097de466">the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.</a> It caused the race to be red-flagged with debris from their cars scattered across the track.</p>
<p>Both drivers were unable to continue and Wolff said he would be speaking to Russell about the incident.</p>
<p>“The whole situation should have never happened,” Wolff said. “Valtteri had a bad first 30 laps and shouldn’t have been there. But George should have never launched into this maneuver, considering that the track was drying up.</p>
<p>“It meant taking risks, and the other car is a Mercedes in front of him. In any driver’s development, for a young driver, you must never lose this global perspective. So yeah, lots to learn for him I guess.”</p>
<p>Wolff stressed that Russell should have handled the situation differently.</p>
<p>“You need to see that there is a Mercedes and it is wet, it bears a certain risk to overtake,” Wolff said. “And the odds are against him anyway when the track is drying up." </p>
<p>Both drivers were furious in the aftermath with Bottas flicking his middle finger at Russell, who responded by swatting the Finnish driver with his hand.</p>
<p>“I couldn’t hear what he was saying,” Bottas said. “Obviously I had my helmet on. I couldn’t hear a thing so that’s that.</p>
<p>“From my side of it, it’s quite straightforward, I was obviously defending my position … he went for it and obviously lost it and hit me and it was game over.”</p>
<p>Russell said a number of factors had played a part, including the slippery conditions, but felt that Bottas had made a late movement toward him, breaking a driver’s code.</p>
<p>“I don’t see it that way at all. I didn’t make any sudden moves … and always left the space,” Bottas said. “From my side it was clean. Of course I’m defending, I’m not going to make any room for him but also when I race, I have respect, so I see it differently than him.”</p>
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