In the course of the enormous claims calculations in the last two races, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has cited the call for a rethinking of the upper cost limits of Formula 1.
Red Bull claimed that Max Verstappen’s massive 51G shunt at Silverstone resulted in $ 1.8 million in repair costs after contact with title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Both Red Bull cars sustained significant damage when Verstappen and Sergio Perez were embroiled in the first slaughter on the corner started by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in Hungary.
“This is very frustrating for Honda, as it is not due to reliability, but to accidents that we did not cause,” said Horner. “So they feel the brunt of it, as do we on the chassis side.
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“The upper cost limit should not be underestimated. It’s something to watch because in a cost cap environment, the incidents we’ve had over the past few weeks are brutal.
“Of course you have to look at what’s in the cap. There are spare parts; The engines are also of particular concern. I think we have to rethink this with the FIA as it can affect all teams, not just Red Bull. “
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Ferrari also lost a car in hand-to-hand combat, with Charles Leclerc being eliminated on the spot after a hit from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Both Bottas and Stroll received five starting place penalties for the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month because of the collisions.
After a post-race inspection, the Italians announced earlier this week that Leclerc’s engine was “irreparably damaged,” meaning the Monegaske is “very likely” to face a starting grid later in the season for exceeding the permitted aggregate components.
Ferrari backed Red Bull’s stance, with team principal Mattia Binotto suggesting the idea that teams should pay the repair costs of other cars if their driver is found guilty of causing the accident.
“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. Should we add exceptions? I am not sure if this is the solution. I think being the police can be very difficult.
“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 increases the responsibility of the driver. “
McLaren experienced a miserable Hungarian GP and left Budapest with zero points after Lando Norris was eliminated from Bottas after a rematch. Daniel Ricciardo also suffered race damage in the chaos of Turn 1 when he hobbled into 11th place.
When asked whether he agrees with Red Bull that the situation has to be reassessed, McLaren team boss Seidl replied: “No, not at all.
“I’m definitely not going in the direction Christian is taking by mentioning the cost cap every other sentence and how much it will be injured by an accident on the track.
“Ultimately, it’s part of the game we’re in – it’s up to us to manage the budget properly.
“It will be a challenge now to make sure that we have enough parts of the new specification available for Spa again, but then again we have a great team in production and engineering at home so I am confident that we can recover from that .” What happened.
“I don’t see it affecting our plans, to be honest. It’s very simple and straightforward. At the start of the season, based on the experience of previous years, you only have to reckon with certain crash damage per year.
“You have to take that into account and we have that in the budget and that is the challenge we are facing. It’s the same for everyone. “
And what about the teams at the end of the grid?
After Mick Schumacher fell in FP3 and excluded himself from qualifying at the Hungaroring, Haas team boss Günther Steiner admitted that he was tired of falls being “too frequent and too difficult” for his team.
Schumacher also suffered major qualifying shunts in Monaco and France, with the former costing Haas up to $ 500,000 alone.
Even so, Steiner insisted that he had no problem with the current regulations.
“I think we have to live with it, we have to have a budget for it,” he said. “We have to be flexible enough, that’s just good management.
“Because we suddenly have fewer crashes, do we lower the budget ceiling again? I think it’s part of racing and it will be part of how much risk you take and what you do.
“I think it’s part of racing, crashes. You can’t adjust the budget or regulation for how many crashes you have. No change is necessary for me here. “
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