George Russell has taken to social media to apologise to Valtteri Bottas and his team for his strong words following yesterday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. 

Russell was left seething after a nasty, high-speed accident with the Finn on lap 32 of the race as the pair battled for P9 and P10 on a day when Williams looked like they could score points in mixed conditions. 

After the accident, Bottas showed Russell the middle finger as the Brit slapped Bottas’ helmet as emotions ran high between the two who were teammates at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix. 

As well as apologising for his actions yesterday, Russell has vowed to learn from it and become a better driver and person following yesterday’s clash and comments. 

Read his statement in full below. 

''Yesterday wasn’t my proudest day. I knew it would be one of our best opportunities to score points this season and, when those points matter as much as they do to us right now, sometimes you take risks. It didn't pay off and I have to take responsibility for that.  

''Having had time to reflect on what happened afterwards, I know I should have handled the whole situation better. Emotions can run high in the heat of the moment and yesterday mine got the better of me.  

''I apologise to Valtteri, to my team and to anyone who felt let down by my actions. That’s not who I am and I expect more from myself, as I know others expect more from me. I’ve learned some tough lessons this weekend and will come out of this a better driver and a better person for the experience.  

''Now it’s full focus on Portugal and a chance to show what I’m really about. Thanks for all the messages, both positive and negative. They will all help me to grow.’’ 

Some thoughts on yesterday: pic.twitter.com/xU07da7DCz

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) April 19, 2021