Ferrari to discuss compensation for Sainz's costly Vegas crash
Ferrari's Sainz suffered huge crash damage from loose drain cover in Vegas practice. Team boss Vasseur holding private compensation talks with F1. Financial and sporting implications for Ferrari. Vasseur wants future debris damage excluded from budget cap.
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix saw Ferrari's Carlos Sainz suffer a huge accident in Free Practice 1, after hitting a loose drain cover on the main straight.
The impact destroyed Sainz's chassis, power unit, and energy store, causing major damage to the SF-23.
Speaking after the incident, Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur confirmed he will have "private discussions" with Formula 1 and race promoters Liberty Media regarding compensation for the crash.
Financial and Sporting Impact
Vasseur stressed the accident has significant financial and sporting repercussions for Ferrari.
With the chassis write-off and power unit damage, there are substantial extra costs outside of Ferrari's budget cap allowance.
Vasseur noted there is "no provision" in the budget cap regulations to exclude crash damage expenses.
Further costs will also be incurred flying an additional spare chassis from Maranello to Abu Dhabi for next weekend.
On the sporting front, the crash has impacted Ferrari's stock of spare components. Vasseur said the damage to the power unit, energy store and loom leaves Ferrari with "a lot of consequences" ahead of the season finale.
Precedent and Future Talks
There is precedent for compensation in similar debris incidents, after Haas received a payout from Sepang Circuit following Romain Grosjean's drain cover crash at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Vasseur stated he will have "private discussions with the stakeholders" regarding the Vegas compensation, meaning talks with Formula 1 and Liberty Media who promote the race.
The Ferrari boss indicated he would also push for crash damage from incidents outside teams' control to be excluded from budget cap calculations in future. "There will be discussion," Vasseur noted. "The decision, it's another thing."
Response During the Incident
Vasseur also suggested the response during the incident could have been quicker. He claimed marshals showed a yellow flag after spotting the loose cover, but took a full minute before red-flagging the session.
Vasseur argued this gap was too long considering the speeds on the straight.
Teams received no radio message about debris, leaving Ferrari unaware of the reason for yellow flags.
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