Ferrari had to write off Leclerc’s F1 engine after the accident in Hungary

The Monegasque driver was overtaken by his runaway Aston Martin rival at the top of the first corner when Stroll braked too late and hit the grass in the wet conditions.

The collision severely damaged Leclerc’s car and was enough to knock him out of the GP on corner two.

As a new blow, Ferrari has now discovered that the engine used by Leclerc cannot be repaired.

That means Leclerc will have to break in his third and final engine of the year at the Belgian Grand Prix, and that will likely mean he will have to use a fourth engine later in the campaign. This triggers a lattice drop.

In a statement released Tuesday, Ferrari said: “The investigation of the number 16 SF21 yesterday in Maranello revealed that the engine was also irreparably damaged and cannot be re-used after the impact of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.

“This is another blow to Scuderia Ferrari and the Monegasque driver. This damage has financial implications and also an impact on racing, as the team could very likely be forced to install a fourth ICE on the remaining 12 race weekends of this season.” to Charles’ SF21, which incurs grid penalties. “

Leclerc’s engine failure comes after rival Red Bull also sustained two potential engine failures due to collisions with other cars.

Max Verstappen’s British GP engine suffered a crack that had to be replaced for the Hungarian GP race, while Sergio Perez’s engine failed after being picked up by Valtteri Bottas on the first corner of the Hungaroring.

In a speech over the weekend, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto suggested that F1 could consider a rule change that would force rival teams to pay for accidental damage when they are solely responsible.

While Red Bull believes teams should be granted exemptions from the cost cap if they suffer accidental damage caused by other teams, Binotto believes an alternative idea could work better.

“I think it’s worth discussing with the other FIA and F1 team principals in the near future,” said Binotto.

“Of course, if you are not guilty, such damage in the budget cap is now an even bigger consequence.

“Shall we add exceptions? I am not sure if this is the solution. I think it can be very difficult to be monitored.

“But I think what we can consider is that if one driver fails, the driver’s team should at least pay the other teams the damage and repairs. That will make the drivers more accountable.”

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