British driver George Russell said there were "no excuses" for the "stupid mistake" in Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which cost him his first Formula One point.
Russell had navigated his way up to 10th but crashed out at low speed while following the safety car in the closing stages.
The 22-year-old was attempting to warm up his tyres, but on the approach to Acqua Minerale he lost control of his Williams, sliding off the track and into the wall.
LAP 53/63 More drama at Imola – and this time it's George Russell Running behind the Safety Car, he hits the barriers 💥 "I don't know what to say" he tells the team over the radio 😬#ImolaGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/PMCv0wQrXE — Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2020
After he emerged from his cockpit, Russell was evidently furious with his calamitous accident, punching his leg five times as he sat slumped by the side of the road.
Russell has impressed over one lap – on Saturday he extended his unbeaten qualifying run against his team-mates to 34 rounds in as many F1 appearances – but his pointless run continues.
"I cannot make stupid mistakes like I did today," said Russell. "It was a race where I was pushing as hard as I could from lap one until then – the most aggressive I've ever been.
"If I had any chance of getting a point, I needed to be super-aggressive. But as soon as I lost the car, I was already in the wall. It's gutting. I'm really sorry for all the guys.
"There are no excuses. I will go away and learn from this and try to come back stronger."
Russell's future had been in some doubt following speculation that Williams' new owners would replace him with a driver who brings significant cash to the team.
🗣 "In hindsight maybe we could have done something different." @alex_albon on the #ImolaGP 🇮🇹👉 https://t.co/Gfj6QYFiPL #F1 pic.twitter.com/3JhHgHy2a1 — Aston Martin Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 1, 2020
But ahead of this weekend's race, Williams put to bed those rumours by rubber-stamping Russell's seat for 2021.
Over at Red Bull, the London-born Alexander Albon looks likely to be dispensed with at the end of the year.
Albon, 24, was on course to finish fifth here but spun out of the points at the restart.
