In the recent past, Formula 1 has witnessed an unexpected problem with manhole covers causing damage to the floor of the cars. The latest incident took place during pre-season testing when Charles Leclerc’s SF-24 suffered massive damage to the floor after it came in contact with a loose drain cover. According to reports, Ferrari suffered a whopping expense of $126,000 to replace the damaged floor of Leclerc’s car. Since such parts of F1 cars are so expensive, reigning champion Max Verstappen has recently made a suggestion.
While speaking about this issue, the Dutchman said (as quoted by f1maximaal.nl), “Before you drive on the weekend, it is a must to check that everything is in order so that we don’t have another situation where cars are vandalized”. He then explained how the current budget cap restrictions worsen the financial concerns that teams face throughout the season.
As for Ferrari, they are likely to face much worse problems this year as the campaign has officially not even begun. The Italian outfit already has a fair idea of how such incidents can cause massive troubles for them, having encountered a similar issue last year as well.
Last season, it was Carlos Sainz’s car that suffered massive damage to the floor after he made contact with a loose drain cover at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Since the Prancing Horse had to replace the floor of the Spaniard’s car, the 29-year-old also had to take a 10-place grid penalty for the same. That’s not it, as Ferrari are still seeking compensation from the insurance companies for the financial loss they incurred.
Verstappen and Leclerc share their thoughts about the recent manhole incidents
Max Verstappen believes that ever since F1 introduced the ground effect regulations in 2022, drivers have needed to be more careful about manholes on circuits. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, who was the most recent victim of an incident with a loose drain cover, was adamant that F1 need to take better steps to ensure that such moments do not take place again.
The Monegasque then compared his incident with that of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and explained that he was fortunate to escape relatively unscathed. However, the same cannot be said about Sainz. As a result of the impact of his incident in Las Vegas, the Spaniard revealed in an interview that he was unable to feel his legs.
Although Leclerc was the second driver who faced such a moment in just the last few months with a loose drain cover, F1 yet did not take the required steps to ensure that such an incident did not take place again during pre-season testing.
The very next day after Leclerc’s incident, Sergio Perez had a nervy moment with a loose drain cover as well. However, he and Red Bull were lucky that there was no significant damage to the Mexican or the car.
