Picture Credit: Reuters
It's been quite an action-packed season in Formula One so far, with so many controversies. The teams went into the summer break on the back of two dramatic races at Silverstone and Hungary, respectively. There were quite a few crashes that occurred during those races and two of the teams who were the most affected were Red Bull and Ferrari.
Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner has already revealed that they had to incur damage of $1.8 million following Verstappen's crash with Hamilton in British Grand Prix. The current budget cap for F1 teams this year is set at $145 million, which is certainly becoming difficult for teams to operate under considering the number of incidents that have happened on the track.
Ferrari's repair bill goes to €2.5 million at halfway mark of 2021 season
Ferrari were also the victim of the same in Hungary when Charles Leclerc was caught by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, causing significant damage to Ferrari's engine. As a result, the 23-year-old will have to suffer grid penalties when they introduce the fourth unit. Team Principal Mattia Binotto revealed that the crash in Hungary moved Ferrari’s repair bill for this year to €2.5 million.
Although the figure includes all the damages incurred, Binotto opined that there needs to be a change in the system with respect to crashes involving two teams. “I think there is value for discussions in the near future with the other team principals, FIA and F1. Obviously, if you're not guilty, having such damage in the budget cap is something which is even more of a consequence now," he said.
The team of the faulty driver should pay for damages and repair: Binotto
The 51-year-old admitted that it is a tricky task as adding exemptions is not the solution. However, he added that what must be considered is the fact that if a driver is faulty, the team of the driver should pay at least the other teams for the damages and repairs. Binotto added that this would make the drivers more responsible on the track.
“I think that certainly there are no obvious solutions, but it is something that no doubt we will discuss with the FIA, F1 and teams in the coming weeks, possibly to address it, to see if there is any solution for the future,” he concluded.