Hamilton on statement Russell: "Strength comes from vulnerability"

The clash between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix caused a lot of controversy. After the race, Russell expressed his displeasure with Bottas' driving behaviour in a very cynical tone, something he later regretted. He is forgiven, at least by Lewis Hamilton.

When he stepped out of the wreck, Russell's body language already showed how he felt about Bottas. In his eyes, the Mercedes driver had pushed him off the track and he strongly suspected that Bottas would not have done this to another driver. Russell is a potential replacement of the Finn at Mercedes, and so he believes Bottas had it in for him.

For Bottas, the outside world and also the race committee it was not at all clear that Russell was the victim of the situation. The harsh accusations therefore fell on the wrong side of team boss Toto Wolff. Russell realised on Monday that he had gone too far and apologised.

The fact that he ended up exposing himself to such vulnerability meets with Hamilton's approval: "Strength comes from vulnerability", the world champion said in a comment on Instagram. "If you don’t make the mistake you can never learn the lesson. Respect for taking responsibility. On to the next one."