Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto believes that one should consider whether Formula 1 teams should pay rivals for crash damage if their driver causes an incident.
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Hungarian F1 Grand Prix
The introduction of the $ 145 million budget cap has resulted in teams crawling around to reach the limit, with larger outfits being hit harder by the new rules.
Red Bull recently called for a change in the cost cap following the repair damage suffered in the last two races.
Ferrari itself was the victim of a costly first lap accident in which driver Charles Leclerc was defeated by Lance Stroll at Turn 1 of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
While Binotto felt that a more lenient approach to car damage might not necessarily be the right solution, he argued that teams should be forced to pay for other car repairs if their own driver is blamed for an accident.
“I think it’s worth discussing with the other FIA and F1 team principals in the near future,” said Binotto, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
“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 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. “
For the second time in a row, Red Bull has to make do with expensive accident repairs after both drivers were involved in a pile-up with several cars in the first corner.
Max Verstappen’s 51g impact at the British Grand Prix had already left the team with a $ 1.8 million bill, but it now fears the recent damage could have dire consequences.
Despite losing a bargeboard and damaging the ground, Verstappen scored in the points, but teammate Sergio Perez pulled out of the first lap collision that may render his Honda engine beyond repair.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said the “brutal” nature of the budget cap needs to be addressed to prevent teams from being penalized for not being responsible for incidents.
“It’s brutally below the cost ceiling,” said Horner. “I think it reaffirms that if you have an incident that is not your fault, we pay a significant price, and that is something that is not in the budget.
“This is something I think the FIA needs to look into more closely.”
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