Mercedes to pay $700,000 to allow Lewis Hamilton to continue with Austrian GP
Mercedes would need to pay $700,000 in repairs, as Lewis Hamilton needs a new chassis to continue with the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Austrian Grand Prix qualifying wasn’t a pleasant experience for Mercedes. Both drivers saw themselves crashing out of the qualifying, which initially was going well for them.
Out of the two, Lewis Hamilton apparently has obtained more damage. His W13 didn’t look well after the crash, and now the reports say that a new chassis would be required for the Briton to continue with the Grand Prix.
Therefore, the new chassis would be a huge hole in Mercedes’ 2022 budget. One chassis to an F1 car costs around $650,000-700,000. Thus, it is something Ferrari wouldn’t have wanted.
#F1: Hamilton needs a new chassis for #AustrianGP. The side impact crash structure was destroyed yesterday after hitting tire barriers in Turn 7. #AMuS
— Andreas Haupt (@andihaupt1) July 9, 2022
Hamilton was surely gutted by the crash on Friday. The seven-time world champion claimed that he feels bad for the team who worked really hard to bring the team upward. Now, he only aims to bag maximum points from the rest of the weekend.
Also read: George Russell may face penalty ahead of Austrian GP for crossing track during Red Flag
Increase obtained no good for Mercedes
Initially, the teams pointed out inflation as the biggest hindrance to the budget caps. To solve that FIA gave a 3.1 increase in the budget, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims that the repairs from this weekend have “already cost a third of the increase obtained on the budget cap spending ceiling.”
#AustrianGP 🇦🇹: Toto Wolff says the repairs on the cars has “already cost a third of the increase obtained on the budget cap spending ceiling.”
Reminder that the FIA has agreed to a 3.1% increase on the budget cap due to inflation.
— deni (@fiagirly) July 9, 2022
In addition to the new chassis, Mercedes has also added new gearboxes for both drivers. Thus taking the cost even higher, usually, a gearbox, costs around $400,000.
Surely, Mercedes had a huge bill to pay ahead of the rest of the weekend. And seeing their deficit against Ferrari and Red Bull on the table, they wouldn’t be happy with their situation. As after recent developments, they once again hoping for a title comeback.
Also read: F1 Twitter reacts as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell crash in Q3 of Austrian GP
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