Russell was ruthlessly blanked by Bottas after leaving nine-word voicemail

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George Russell claims that Valtteri Bottas blanked his phone call after their collision at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Tension was simmering between the duo at the time, with Russell gunning for Bottas’ Mercedes seat the following season.

When they came together on lap 32 of the race at Imola, Russell was still plugging away with Williams and Bottas remained Lewis Hamilton’s long-serving team-mate.

The collision put both drivers out of the Grand Prix, with Russell adamant that his Mercedes counterpart had acted ‘dangerously’, and Bottas insistent that the Englishman was ‘completely’ at fault.

It wasn’t until almost three months later that Mercedes arrived at their final decision to give Russell the 2022 seat, sending Bottas to the F1 midfield with Alfa Romeo.

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After the tension surrounding events at Imola, Russell claims to have been blanked by Bottas after leaving a voicemail. “I did give him a phone call, of which he didn’t answer,” the 25-year-old told Beyond The Grid.

“My message was just, ‘Give me a call when you have a moment’. But we’ve never spoken about that crash, ever. We’ve never spoken about me joining Mercedes. We’ve never spoken about any of that. We often have normal chats with not a single ounce of awkwardness. It’s just part of the business, part of the job and it’s never personal.”

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Russell and Bottas have a lengthy history in F1, despite the former only making his debut in 2019. The following year, Russell was drafted in by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to take Hamilton’s place, with the seven-time world champion having been struck down by illness ahead of the Sakhir Grand Prix.

It ended in heartbreak for the Norfolk-born star, as a puncture dashed any hopes of a shock race win. But Russell has admitted that his first-lap overtake on Bottas, and the statement it sent out, made it the best of his career.

“There’s definitely one that stands out [laughs] and that was the 2020 overtake on Valtteri in Sakhir,” he continued. “Because of how much that meant given the circumstances. The fact I was trying to jump in that Mercedes, and there wasn’t a better chance for me to prove what I could do.”

Russell and Bottas have rarely met on track this season, mainly due to Alfa Romeo’s struggle for pace, with the Finn putting just six points on the Drivers’ Championship board compared to the Mercedes star’s 115.

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