The Williams Racing Team would come away from the 2021 Emilia Romagna GP with the worst possible result a double DNF with both Nicholas Latifi and George Russell being involved in crashes. Nicholas would spin in the opening laps and upon returning to the track would make contact with another car that would see him crash into the barrier. Very much a mistake on Nicholas's part but for George his crash would become the subject of much discussion. He was making a passing move on Bottas but the end result would see both cars crashing heavily. The Stewrads later on would declare it a racing incident but both drivers very much had their own opinions as to how they saw the incident. Regardless after such a positive start for the team to come away with zero points again was a bitter pill to swallow.
Williams Racing Emilia Romagna GP
Race Review
Race Notes
• It was a difficult day for the team with both George Russell and
Nicholas Latifi failing to finish the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
• The Brit started 12th and the Canadian 14th, both on the intermediate
Pirelli tyre following rain shortly before lights out
• In tricky conditions Nicholas’ race finished in the barrier on the
straight after turn 13 following contact with Nikita Mazepin
• After pitting for dry tyres on lap 26, George was having a strong race
running in the points. However, an incident with Valtteri Bottas
resulted in both crashing out on lap 32.
Nicholas Latifi:
"In the end it was not the result we wanted, so that is frustrating from
my side. It was my mistake in tricky conditions, even the laps to the
grid were difficult and the spray was the worst I have ever seen it. I
had the first spin off from a bit of rear locking and then I re-joined
the track. I tried to stay on the left-hand side but naturally the
driver line takes you back to the right, so I knew I couldn’t just cut
back across. I didn’t see Mazepin when I joined the track but looking at
the replay, I have seen we made contact and that sent me into the wall.
It was an unfortunate end to the weekend as it was my mistake, so I’m
really sorry to the team for that."
George Russell:
"I think it was a very unfortunate incident and one that could have
been avoided. Valtteri was defending hard, and he is in his right to do
so. The track was going left, and he was going straight. In these
conditions with one dry line, it only had one outcome. It is frustrating
but that is Formula One."
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance:
"It’s extremely disappointing to be leaving Imola with neither car
having finished the race. We have had a decent weekend throughout, and
in tricky conditions today we made good and timely decisions. Although
Nicholas found it a little difficult at the start on the Intermediate
tyres, he was unfortunate to touch the Haas and crash out. George was
good on the intermediate tyres and did a great job behind the safety car
to keep the car in a good state. As we moved to slick tyres we were in a
strong position and although there was still a long way to go, George
was comfortable and managing his car and tyres well. We had the pace and
speed to overtake Bottas, and had we been able to make the move cleanly
we looked set for a strong finish.
We can take a lot of positives from this weekend as the car and drivers
have performed well and have been backed up by some excellent work in
the garage and in Grove. We missed a good opportunity to score points
today, but we got ourselves into a good position on merit and with many
races remaining in the season, we should be confident of getting another
good opportunity soon."
Track: Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
Lap Length: 5.412 km / 3.363 miles
Weather: Hot and gusty temperatures
Temperature: Air: 21°C Track: 26-29°C
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