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$ 1.8 million – that’s the value of damage to Max Verstappen’s car following his controversial collision with Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, believes Red Bull team manager Christian Horner.
The two title protagonists made contact at 180 mph at Silverstone’s Copse Corner, which sent Verstappen through the barriers with a 51G impact and caused significant damage to his RB16B.
With a budget cap in place this year for the first time, currently set at $ 145 million per year, Horner says this damages bill will have “massive ramifications.”
READ MORE: Allison reveals what Mercedes was so keen to show FIA Stewards following Hamilton-Verstappen crash
Top teams including Red Bull have struggled to hit the cap, having already spent a lot more, and so such a big financial hit for damages could impact their development plan for the rest of the season.
After checks at a local hospital, Verstappen returned home to Monaco to rest. Horner said that speaking to him on Monday morning, the championship leader said he “felt like he had done a few laps with Tyson Fury”.
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He added that he was confident Verstappen would put the incident behind him and focus on getting his championship fight back on track, after his lead was reduced to eight points, starting with the next race in Hungary.
“Despite the bumps and bruises he will be more motivated on the track and the positives we can take from the weekend are that last year we qualified within a second of Mercedes,” said Horner, who was speaking in a column on the Red Bull website. .
“This year, we were less than a tenth. We had a faster race car and we were able to beat them in the Sprint Race, which shows that the team’s monumental effort with the support of Honda allowed us to close the gap with the seven-time champions of the world and the pressure is on them.
“Hungary will be a different challenge for the car and the team and we will all be fully motivated to maintain our lead in the championship. Max won’t dwell on anything from Silverstone and wants to talk on the track. He’s determined to put this incident behind him and use it as additional motivation for the rest of the season, just like us. “
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Horner says he hasn’t changed his mind about his belief that Hamilton’s 10-second penalty was lenient with the seven-time world champion winning the race, and says Red Bull is considering their next steps, which potentially includes the sanction request.
“It is no secret that we believed at the time, and still believe, that Hamilton received a small penalty for this type of incident,” he said. “Given the seriousness of the incident and the lenient sanction, we are reviewing all data and have the right to request a review. So we are always looking at the evidence and considering all of our sporting options. “
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