Max Verstappen’s £ 1.3million crash repair bill, according to Red Bull, as they continue to reflect on Lewis Hamilton’s penalty review request

Christian Horner said Red Bull “is still considering all of our sporting options” on whether to submit a “right of review” request to the FIA ​​regarding Lewis Hamilton’s 10-second penalty; Mercedes maintains that the sanction was “severe”; F1 resumes following Silverstone controversy at Hungarian GP from Friday on Sky F1

Red Bull claim that Max Verstappen’s collision with Lewis Hamilton at the British GP cost the team around £ 1.3million in repairs.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in a column on the team’s website Friday night that they were still considering whether to seek a review of the incident and the penalty imposed in Hamilton by the stewards.

Under the FIA ​​International Sporting Code, competitors can apply for a right of review up to 14 days after a stewards’ decision if “a new important and relevant material is discovered which was not available to the parties requesting the revision at the time of the relevant decision “. . The 14-day period expires on August 1, the race day in Hungary next week.

Verstappen and Hamilton collided in the opening lap of the Silverstone race last Sunday with the Red Bull exiting the track at high speed and hitting barriers in an impact reported as 51G by his team.

Hamilton was deemed “primarily at fault” by the stewards and imposed a 10-second penalty. After serving the penalty in his first pitstop, Hamilton came back from fourth place to overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with two laps to go for an eighth win at Silverstone to reduce Verstappen’s title lead from 33 to eight points.

Both sides blamed each other for the incident.

“It’s no secret that we thought at the time, and still believe, that Hamilton received a small penalty for this type of incident,” Horner said in his post-race column.

“Given the seriousness of the incident and the lenient sanction, we are reviewing all the data and have the right to request a review. So we always review the evidence and consider all of our sporting options.

“The other big factor is the cost cap element. This crash cost us around $ 1.8million (£ 1.3million) and an accident like this has massive ramifications in an era budget cap. “

For the first time in F1 history, budgets are limited to performance spending with teams capped at $ 145 million for this year.

Horner also said Verstappen’s seat was shattered upon impact with the Copse barriers.

The Red Bull boss was glowing about the incident and Hamilton’s penalty in his interview with Sky F1 immediately after the race.

“I would like to respond to some comments I saw from Toto [Wolff], who reportedly said our comments regarding Hamilton causing the crash were “so personal,” Horner said.

“I want to be clear. This was an on-track incident between two of the best drivers in the world. At the moment you have a driver in hospital and the extent of the injuries has not yet been clarified. , your car has been canceled and the stewards have sanctioned the driver deemed responsible, it is natural that emotion comes into play, for everyone, whether you feel aggrieved or victorious.

“I also felt that the account that Max was ‘too aggressive’ at this point was unwarranted. Just look at the fact that Max has no penalty points on his license and was not convicted of no misjudgment on the track lately. The aggressive 17-year-old F1 rookie Max Verstappen referred to by Hamilton is not today’s Max Verstappen, just as Hamilton is not the same driver as it was when he entered the sport.

“Both drivers are of course uncompromising in their driving style, but they are both highly skilled drivers with a lot of experience. The reality is that Hamilton met his match in a car that is now competitive, and I am d agree that both drivers need to show each other respect, but Hamilton was the aggressor on Sunday. “

Horner added that they are now determined to bounce back at the Hungarian GP, ​​the last round before F1’s summer break next week.

What has Mercedes said since Sunday?

While Horner continues to believe Hamilton was responsible for the incident, Mercedes has previously said she still considers the seven-time world champion’s penalty to be “harsh”.

“We were concerned after the incident and before the restart to ensure that the marshals had read and followed the FIA’s internal guidelines to marshals on the right and wrong of overtaking,” said James Allison, Mercedes technical director in the championship of the world. last race debriefing video.

“Because as far as we are concerned, the maneuver that took place, Lewis’ maneuver was absolutely in line with the FIA ​​passing guide.

“If you are on the inside of the turn, protruding on the inside of the turn, then guidance requires you to be noticeably off the side. You don’t have to be in front, it requires that you are noticeably off the side when you get to the Lewis was certainly noticeably off the side, it had its front axle way past the middle of Verstappen’s car. It requires you to be noticeably to the side and it requires you to be able to take the turn.

“Taking the turn means taking the turn and not leaving the track or losing control of the car. These are the things you have to satisfy. If you can take the turn, if you are noticeably off the track. other car, then the What it means is not that you have to go out in front, it means that you don’t have to give up your position, you don’t have to back up and the other car has the duty to avoid bumping into you.

“So if you follow the notes that are provided to the FIA ​​Stewards and look frame by frame at what happened with Lewis, he was substantially off, he absolutely would have taken the turn and actually made the turn and so there was no need for him to cede all ground.

“So I felt it was hard to get the penalty. I realize that not everyone is okay with that, but I still think that is the case.”