For the second year in a row Mick Schumacher hard crashed at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. This year he went off hard during qualifying and then did not start in the Grand Prix itself. The crash is going to cost his team Haas dearly.
Substantial damage at Haas
Schumacher had a hard impact in Jeddah, a blow of 33G as he crashed into the wall at around 260 kilometers per hour. Zin car obviously sustained a lot of damage, but according to Guenther Steiner, it doesn't seem to be too bad after all. According to the team boss, the chassis itself remained intact, he told Speedweek.com. "We are now going to examine the monocoque in detail to see if we can continue to use it." The engine can also still be used, Ferrari informed Haas.
So much for the good news. As for the rest, the car is in ruins. According to Steiner, only the front left suspension is still usable. The gearbox, fairing and radiator are also written off. "I think we're talking about at least $500,000 in damage, maybe a million," he said.
Exception to budget cap
With the introduction of the budget cap, Formula One teams have to leave well on their expenses. Major crashes then do not help to stay within the budget. Yet there is some good news for Haas, because in case of a crash not all costs fall within the budget ceiling. Exceptions may be made. Still, Haas has to be careful. "I can only hope we don't get more crashes like this," he said.