Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed Lewis Hamilton’s crash with Max Verstappen has left his team with a £1.3million repair bill.
Horner also said Red Bull were still weighing up whether to lodge an official review of Hamilton’s ‘lenient’ sanction.
He claimed Hamilton ‘did not show the necessary restraint’ in his victory celebrations following Sunday’s explosive British Grand Prix.
Hamilton and Verstappen collided at 180mph at Copse corner on the opening lap of the Silverstone race.
Verstappen hit the tyre barrier at 51G.
As a result he spent six hours in a hospital in Coventry before he was given the all-clear.
With a budget cap in place this year for the first time, currently set at $145 million annually.
Horner says this damage bill will have “massive ramifications”.
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The cost could impact on Red Bull’s ability to bring performance upgrades to their car, among other expenses.
This figure is a best early estimate for repairs the car, and could yet go up.
Red Bull are still looking into whether the monocoque can be repaired or will have to be replaced with a new one.
The top teams such as Red Bull are already struggling to meet the budget cap.
However, limit is in the region of half the previous annual spend for teams such as Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
Any extra expense such as this makes it even more of a challenge to do so.
Engine partner Honda has sent the power unit back to its base in Sakura, Japan to investigate the extent of the damage.
If it cannot be saved, Verstappen will need a new one.
This will almost certainly exceed the permitted number of engine parts for the season.
In this case, he will receive a grid penalty at a race later in the season.
However, Honda’s initial inspection suggested it was not as badly damaged as feared.
A spokesman said that, while a full diagnosis had not been completed.
“There may be a possibility that we might be able to bring it back to Hungary for the next race.”
However, he added that if it was taken to Hungary it would likely only be used in Friday practice.
