Haas has revealed that the only major parts not destroyed in Mick Schumacher’s crash in Saudi Arabia qualifying were the survival cell and power unit, and estimates the damage to be worth $1 million. .
Mick Schumacher was pushing hard to make it to Q3 at the Jeddah Corniche circuit when he lost control of his VF-22 at Turn 10, the car spinning and crashing into the outside wall.
It then crawled around the track before hitting the barriers at the other end of the circuit, finally coming to a stop at Turn 12.
Although Mick managed to get out of the accident without injury and was released from hospital that night after precautionary checks, his car was not exactly unscathed.
As all four sides impacted and the gearbox dropped when the stewards raised the car, Haas was well aware that the damage bill could be quite high.
And indeed, subsequent investigation of the single-seater in the Haas garage confirmed that almost nothing escaped the years and remained intact.
Team manager Gunther Steiner said: “The chassis itself doesn’t seem to be broken. The side infrastructures are, but you can change them.”
“Obviously we need to do a full chassis overhaul, but it looks like it’s not too bad to be honest.”
“The engine too, they told me from Ferrari that it seems fine. The battery too. But then everything else is broken!”
When asked what the bill for the damage would be, Steiner estimated it could be as high as $1 million.
“I think the cost is quite high because all the suspension is gone: except the front left. I think there is still something there. The rest is just dust and ash.”
“I don’t know how much money, but, between the gearbox, all the bodywork that has been destroyed, the radiators… between half a million dollars and a million, I would say.”
(See how Mick Schumacher’s Haas car turned out in these photos)
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
With F1 teams facing strict F1 budget cap spending ceilings this year, Steiner said teams have had to set aside a rough amount to account for potential crash damage.
Therefore, although Mick Schumacher’s accident has not changed things too much in that sense, if they suffer more incidents the headache would be greater.
“We have an amount set aside, but in a racing team you can never stick to your budget like in a normal commercial business, because there is this risk.
“Obviously you have reserves, but if you have two or three like this, quickly your contingency disappears and the losses come. So you just have to manage your resources. Obviously, I hope we don’t have too many more accidents.”
