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The high-speed crash at Italy's Imola circuit
wrecked both Bottas's Mercedes and Russell's Williams, though
both drivers were not injured. Stewards declared it a racing
incident.
"The whole situation is absolutely not amusing for us, to be
honest," Wolff told reporters.
"It’s quite a big shunt. Our car is 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 are able to do.
"We are very stretched on cost cap, and what we always feared is
a total write-off of a car. This one is not going to be a total
write-off, but almost, and that is not something we really
wanted."
Wolff said he would speak to Russell and make his point.
Formula One introduced a $145 million cap this season and
champions Mercedes, one of the biggest teams, have had to cut
costs significantly although the cap does not include driver
salaries.
Russell, 23, stood in for Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain last year
when Mercedes' seven-times world champion tested positive for
COVID-19, and the rising star is seen as a future Mercedes
driver.
His situation, and the possibility he could one day join or
replace Bottas in the champions' line-up, added piquancy to the
Imola incident.
Wolff made clear he felt the youngster should have been more
careful as he tried to pass the Finn for ninth place on a drying
track with damp patches at the margins.
"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," he said.
"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. So, lots to learn for
him I guess."
Speaking to Sky Sports television after the race, Wolff joked
about Russell's future.
"I keep teasing him saying if he does a good job he can be in a
Mercedes, if not we'll be in the Renault Clio Cup," said the
Austrian. "Today we are more close to the Renault Clio Cup."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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