“George Russell cost Mercedes $1.3million”– How much does an F1 crash cost?

How much does an F1 crash cost: F1 car crashes are the most annoying thing that can happen to the teams, especially when they have a budget.

Crashes are a major part of moto racing, irrespective of the category. F1 is not immune to it too, but it has worked so hard on the safety aspect that a driver gets out of its usually unharmed.

However, the price of a crash in F1 has only soared, only because of the rising prices of the cars and equipment added via the development. Moreover, there are a few fundamental parts of the cars which are not only expensive but also unavoidable.

So, any crash in F1 would need a team to shell out some money. At times, when teams are lucky, it would not cost more than a couple of thousand dollars. Otherwise, it could cost up to a million dollars too.

Last year, Valtteri Bottas and George Russell had one of the most dramatic crashes. It followed multiple heated exchanges between the two drivers until Russell admitted his mistake.

However, the damage Mercedes obtained from the hit it took from Russell’s Williams was estimated to be around $1.3million. The car’s engine was spared otherwise it would have further skyrocketed.

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How much does an F1 crash cost: What varies the cost of F1 crashes?

As mentioned above, the equipment damaged is needed to be replaced. Therefore, the viability of them after them being hit depends on the cost of an F1 crash.

A single front wing of an F1 car costs around $140,000. Moreover, the chassis, which also plays a huge role in the survival of the drivers during an intense crash could cost over $700,000.

Moreover, the gearbox of a team also costs around $500,000-600,000. In Max Verstappen’s crash in Silverstone, that component was damaged and Red Bull officially claimed $1.8million in repair expenses.

Additionally, the F1 engines are prone to be damaged in crashes. Charles Leclerc’s engine got damaged allegedly because of a collision with Lance Stroll. An engine usually costs around $ 18 million.

This is the reason why F1 cars’ manufacturing bill is over $ 20 million. Thus, it’s a big loss, as teams can legally take only three power units per season, after that they are imposed penalties per component or the whole power unit.

Watch this video for a more detailed explanation

F1 car repairs are a big headache under budget caps

Before budget caps got implemented, repair costs were not big hiccups for the big teams. They had mammoth funds to cover them, but small teams were always bothered.

But now with a budget of $140million. Teams like Ferrari and Mercedes are bothered about the managing of the budget with repair costs included in it.

Last year, Mick Schumacher cost Haas around $4.4 million, the highest in the whole grid in 2021. So, surely with two drivers, the repair costs can touch around $8-10 million, with probably no fault of the team bearing the cost.

Thus, in the whole scene, this much money is a big burden to the pocket, as this amount could be used for development. But, the FIA, so far is not budging.

Also read: Max Verstappen puts his personal car up for auction to help a non-profit foundation