Sergio Perez’s crash at the Monaco Grand Prix has Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko concerned about the team’s future performance against Ferrari and McLaren.
Perez’s race at Monaco ended abruptly after a first-lap collision with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. The impact was massive, reducing Perez’s RB20 to just its survival cell. Thankfully, Perez walked away unhurt, but the crash also took out Magnussen and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
This incident was deemed a racing incident by the stewards, meaning no penalties were assigned. However, the financial toll for Red Bull is significant. Marko estimated the damage costs to be between $2.5 million and $3 million, which is no small number, especially given the budget cap of $135 million for the F1 2024 season.
Marko is worried about how this expense will impact Red Bull’s ability to keep up with Ferrari and McLaren in terms of car development and upgrades. Both teams have recently made strides, with McLaren’s Lando Norris winning in Miami and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking the top spot in Monaco. If Red Bull has to divert more resources to counter these advancements, they’ll be in a
According to Marko, the worst-case scenario is having to limit further development work. ‘Three million is then missing for our considerations. In the worst case, this means that we can do less development. If we have to do something extra due to the greater competitiveness of Ferrari and McLaren, we are obviously handicapped,’ he stated.
Red Bull is already feeling the heat as Perez hasn’t been on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix. He has fallen to P5 in the Drivers’ Championship, while Ferrari has narrowed the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings to just 24 points. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stressed the importance of having both cars, Perez’s and Verstappen’s, performing at their best. ‘This weekend’s been pretty brutal for him,’ Horner said, adding that both drivers need to score points to fend off the competition from Ferrari and McLaren.
As the F1 season progresses, Red Bull’s next challenge is the Canadian Grand Prix, where Verstappen will aim for his third consecutive victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. What Ferrari and McLaren do next remains to be seen, but another costly incident could further strain Red Bull’s resources. ‘If there is another crash, not everything will be there for both cars,’ Marko warned.
Red Bull faces significant challenges due to the financial impact of Perez’s crash and the increasing competitiveness of Ferrari and McLaren. The team needs to avoid further costly incidents to maintain their edge in the F1 2024 season.
Source: Planetf1
