Ferrari has had to pay a whopping $126,000 on repair bills for a shocking incident that took place during day 2 of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc made contact with a loose drain cover during the morning session of day 2 and damaged the floor of his car. This incident brought out the red flag immediately. Ferrari will suffer this repair bill as they will now have to replace the floor on Leclerc’s car.
This is a massive blow to Ferrari as they have suffered a huge cost even though the 2024 season has officially not even begun. However, it is pertinent to note that this is not the first time that a loose drain cover has cost them dearly.
Last season during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz suffered the same fate when he too hit a loose drain cover. As a result of the contact, the floor of Sainz’s SF-23 had to be replaced and this resulted in him having to take a 10-place grid penalty for no fault of his own.
Even though Ferrari appealed against the decision, it was turned down, much to their frustration. Nonetheless, repairs of this kind trouble a team amid the tight budget cap regulations. Furthermore, the impact of the budget cap will be even greater this season as there are 24 races along with six sprint races.
Ferrari suffered a huge repair bill last season
The Scuderia Ferrari team suffered several crashes over the course of the 2023 season. According to reports, the team had to pay a repair bill amount of $3,126,000. The team is third highest on the grid after only Williams and Alpine. Williams had to spend $5,755,000 while Alpine had to pay $3,161,000.
As the repair bills go higher, this has direct repercussions on the overall development of a team’s car. This is because if the teams have to allot an enormous amount of money for repairs, they cannot afford to channel that amount for the development of the car.
Hence, the early expenses in Bahrain during pre-season testing could prove to be detrimental to Scuderia Ferrari’s success this year. Nevertheless, they do seem to have momentum on their side after day 2 of pre-season testing as Leclerc and Sainz both topped one session each on day two.
