Mercedes F1 junior, George Russell thinks his relationship with the German team has improved after his shunt at Imola which took out Valtteri Bottas in the process. Fighting for a points-scoring position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Russell tried to drive around the outside of Bottas in a touch-and-go move that ultimately saw both drivers crash heavily into the barriers. Despite taking out a member of the Mercedes team, the Williams driver believes his relationship with the German outfit's team principal, Toto Wolff, the man who brought Russell to F1 has grown stronger. "If anything, my relationship with Toto has grown since the incident in Imola," Russell told RacingNews365.com among other selected members of the media. "There was a lot of tough love. But he ultimately wants to extract the absolute maximum from me, or from what he believes I can achieve. "I think I'm mentally strong enough to be able to take this stuff on the chin, take it on board, reflect on it, and come back stronger. Obviously, emotions were high from all accounts. "My relationships with everybody to be honest - from everyone at Williams and to a number of the key people at Mercedes, who I've spoken with since, is better than ever. I think often these difficult moments bring you closer together."
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