Red Bull face a bill of up to €3 million for the damage caused in Sergio Perez’s Monaco Grand Prix crash, according to its motorsport consultant Helmut Marko.
Perez slammed into a barrier at Beau Rivage shortly after the start of Sunday’s race after tangling with Kevin Magnussen. His RB20 also hit the second Haas of Nico Hulkenberg as it spun out of control and made contact with a second barrier on the opposite side of the track.
While Perez and the other drivers involved were all unharmed, his RB20 suffered by far the most damage.
“It cost us between two and three million euros [£1.7m-2.5m],” Marko told Red Bull-owned publication Speed Week. “This is of course a serious disadvantage due to the budget cap, because such damage affects the development budget.”
Teams are limited to a maximum budget of $140.4 million (£110.12) for the 2024 F1 season, excluding some items including driver and top staff salaries, marketing and more.
The damage done could lead to Perez incurring penalties later in the season as drivers may only use a limited number of power units and transmission sets. “We also do not yet know what the gearbox and engine will look like, and the crash could also result in additional penalties if we have to exceed the permitted quota,” said Marko.
The stewards did not investigate the incident, but Marko indicated he did not believe Perez had been at fault. “Perez was on the racing line, Magnussen is optimistic about it,” he said, “but we have to accept it, the risk of such accidents is there and we have to bear the costs.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Magnussen “should have given more space” to Perez. “Not only did he damage his car, he also took out our car, but thankfully Checo stepped away from it unhurt, which is the most important thing.”
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2024 Monaco Grand Prix
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