Red Bull still considering FIA action after $1.8m Verstappen F1 crash
Red Bull is still considering action against the penalty handed to Lewis Hamilton for the crash with Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen that caused $1.8 million in damage.
Hamilton and Verstappen collided on the opening lap of Sunday's British Grand Prix at Copse, resulting in a 51G impact for Verstappen with the barrier.
Verstappen was able to walk away from the crash, but was taken to hospital as a precaution after being heavily winded and bruised in the accident. He was discharged that night after undergoing CT and MRI scans.
Hamilton was hit with a 10-second time penalty by the stewards for being predominantly to blame for the crash, but recovered to win at Silverstone and cut Verstappen's championship lead to eight points.
PLUS: The off-track considerations that led to F1's Hamilton/Verstappen Silverstone shunt
Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner spoke after the race about "rights that are available" to the team to appeal the sanction, although he was sceptical about the chance of any action being successful.
Writing in his British Grand Prix debrief column for Red Bull's website, Horner reaffirmed his view that Hamilton had got off lightly, and said the team was still considering what sporting options it could use to request a review.
"It is no secret that we felt at the time, and still feel, that Hamilton was given a light penalty for this type of incident," Horner wrote.
"Given the severity of the incident and the lenient penalty, we are reviewing all data and have the right to request a review.
"We are therefore still looking at the evidence and considering all of our sporting options."
Although Red Bull cannot formally appeal the 10-second time penalty, it is able to request a review by the FIA so long as it can bring a “significant and relevant” new piece of evidence to light to argue its case within 14 days.
Horner said that Verstappen had "felt like he'd done a few rounds with Tyson Fury" after his crash when he spoke to the F1 championship leader the following day. Verstappen had been discharged from Coventry Hospital at 10pm on race day.
The car of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, is returned to the garage on a truck under a tarpaulin
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
While Verstappen escaped the accident without major injury, the same could not be said of his car, with the seat inside his cockpit being broken due to the severity of the crash.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko initially claimed it had caused around €750,000 worth of damage, but Horner revealed that it had in fact cost the team around double that figure.
"A huge amount of credit must go to the safety standards of these cars, the halo and the barrier systems because the impact was such that it actually broke Max's seat," Horner said.
"The car could have quite easily flipped over, which was an initial concern voiced by the first responding medical team but fortunately it didn't.
"The other significant factor is the cost-cap element of this. That crash has cost us approximately $1.8million and an accident like that has massive ramifications in a budget cap era."
Related video
Ocon confident Alpine has solved problem on his F1 car
Horner stands by criticism of Mercedes F1 British GP celebrations
Why Vasseur isn't wielding the axe on Ferrari's F1 strategy team
As Ferrari reflected on the lost opportunities of the 2022 Formula 1 season, it did not take a genius to understand that strategy had been one of its core weaknesses.
Winward Mercedes replaces injured Auer with Morad for Daytona 24
Lucas Auer will sit out the Daytona 24 Hours after suffering back injuries in practice and will be replaced by GT4 racer Daniel Morad at Winward Mercedes.
The big question concerning IMSA's new LMDh cars on their debut
The new LMDh era finally begins in earnest this weekend with the IMSA SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser at Daytona. The prospect of multiple marques going all guns blazing for victory over 24 hours is a salivating one for fans of sportscar racing, but what are the chances of the new hybrid machines (known as GTP cars Stateside) proving reliable enough to win on debut?
WRC developing experimental propulsion class
The World Rally Championship is developing a new demonstration class that will allow manufacturers and teams to develop and experiment with alternative propulsion methods.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.