Senior Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff should consider the silver lining of the high-speed crash between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell during the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The pair collided near Tamburello, triggering a multi-impact crash which ended both of their races and led to an altercation amid the wreckage.
Follow us on Google News to never miss an F1 story!
Sir Lewis Hamilton had gone a lap down just seconds earlier after he went off the track at the Tosa hairpin, and he benefitted from the red flag to unlap himself.
He eventually recovered to P2 and managed to retain his lead in the Drivers’ Standings by a single point over Max Verstappen, who won the race.
Dr Marko believes Wolff should remember that Russell’s and Bottas’ misfortune ultimately benefitted Hamilton.
“Toto has to look at the bigger picture,” Dr Marko said in an interview with Austrian broadcaster Servus TV.
“Because of Russell’s move Hamilton was able to return to the race. Without that crash from Russell he would have lost a lap.”
Speaking after the race, Wolff said the “whole situation should have never happened” and warned that the crash could affect the team’s ability to bring upgrades this season.
READ: Russell Suggests A Footballer Would’ve Reacted Differently To Bottas ‘Slap’
“The whole situation is absolutely not amusing for us, to be honest,” the Austrian said.
“It’s quite a big shunt. Our car is almost a write-off in a cost-cap environment, that is certainly not what we needed, and probably it’s going to limit upgrades that we’re able to do.
“Simply the fact that we ended there by losing it in the wet, because there was no contact, losing it on the wet, and making both cars crash out is not what I expect to see.
“The whole situation should have never happened, Valtteri had a bad first 30 laps, and shouldn’t have been there. But George should have never launched into this manoeuvre, considering that the track was drying up.
“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.
“Now I don’t want him to try to prove anything to us, because one thing I can say since knowing Valtteri for five years, he’s not trying to prove anything. So yeah, lots to learn for him I guess,” Wolff added.
READ: Ricciardo: I’m ‘Certainly Not Defeated’ By Norris’ Imola Podium