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Valtteri Bottas Recalls His Terrifying ‘Oh Sh*t’ Moment With George Russell in Imola

Published 08/13/2021, 7:14 AM EDT

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is having an underwhelming 2021 season. The Finnish driver has secured just one pole with no victories this season. Although he has kept pace with championship leaders Hamilton and Verstappen in qualifying, Bottas has been lackluster in his races.

Bottas has also been involved in two of the most dramatic accidents of the season. He was solely to blame for his first lap misjudgment in Hungary but believes that he was merely a passenger in the Imola crash with George Russell.

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I can laugh about it now, but luckily nothing happened: Valtteri Bottas

In his interview with Hypebeast, Bottas mentioned that he was happy to come out of the crash with Russell unharmed. He also recalled the incident and mentioned it was not great for him to crash into the barrier at that speed.

“It wasn’t fun. You know I can laugh about it now, but luckily nothing happened,” said Bottas.

“In those kinds of speeds and on that track where there’s not really that much of a runoff area when you become a passenger, you’re just waiting for the impact. You don’t know where you’re going to end up,” said Valtteri.

Valtteri continued, “You can’t control the car and what you’re going to hit next or which way to go, so it’s not fun. But luckily, the final hit into the barrier was straight on and it was quite a big barrier, so it definitely took some of the energy away.”

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It could’ve been worse, but it’s not great. When you’re caught in that situation, you basically say “Oh s*it” and wait for the impact.” said the Mercedes driver.

The Mercedes driver expresses his plans for the rest of the season

The Mercedes driver may not be in contention to win the driver’s championship, but he can still help the German team secure the constructor’s championship. And that seems to be Bottas’s plan for the rest of the season.

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“Obviously, the main idea is to win the race, but if I can’t win the race, then I want to pick up the maximum points for the team that’s possible. I like to go step by step and not think too far ahead, but as a team, we definitely want to win this season,” said Bottas.

Mercedes are currently 12 points ahead of Red Bull and Bottas could still prove to be a difference-maker in this season.

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Can Bottas help guide Mercedes to the constructor’s title? Let us know.

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Written by:

Devang Chauhan is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. Having completed his graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has a keen eye for writing engaging and detailed articles on F1. Previously a writer for Sport Social's 'Chase Your Sport' Magazine, Devang has been a ardent follower of the sport for over a decade and has attended two editions of the Indian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas Recalls His Terrifying ‘Oh Sh*t’ Moment With George Russell in Imola

I can laugh about it now, but luckily nothing happened: Valtteri Bottas

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The Mercedes driver expresses his plans for the rest of the season