Honda hopes to avoid doomsday scenario: "I don't want to think about that"

The price tag of Max Verstappen's crash is estimated at 750,000 euros. The big question is how his Honda engine is doing. The Japanese engine supplier hopes that the damage is not too bad and that the power unit can be reused. If not, then Red Bull Racing has a problem at first sight.

A team can only use three engines per year. Verstappen drove with his second engine of the season, because during the French Grand Prix Honda introduced an update. So if the engine is not reusable, Verstappen will have to go back to his first engine of 2021 or he will start on his third engine next week in Hungary.

Grid penalty lurking for Verstappen?

The Grand Prix at the Hungaroring is the eleventh weekend of the year. The 2021 season will see a total of 23 GPs, so it seems likely that grid penalties will be incurred later in the season. Masashi Yamamoto updates AS-Web on the plans Honda and Red Bull have.

"I hope the power unit is fine. We were running with the second engine of the year. In Hungary we want to drive with the first engine of this season, or with the second. So we pray that the crash hasn't caused any permanent damage", Yamamoto said. He knows that grid penalties can be disastrous in the battle for the world championship.

Preferably not a third engine yet

And what if Verstappen's engine turns out to be completely worn out after the tests in Japan? "I don't want to think about that, but if that happens we will have to race with the first power unit or think about the third unit. If that happens, we're bound to have three engines a year, so that will be hard. That's a concern for the championship."