Mick Schumacher’s accident in Monaco is being analyzed by the FIA, in order to try to understand why the Haas has split in two for the second time this season. Meanwhile, in the American team, they have taken stock of the damage.
Despite the fact that, at first, it seemed that a large part of the car was not going to be easily repaired, the engineers led by Simone Resta have found parts that may still be useful.
The bodywork has been replaced, but work has started on the damaged one, and it would be available as an extra for Baku. The Ferrari engine was undamaged and the only thing that had to be replaced was the external gearbox , a rather unexpected result considering the magnitude of the accident.
The crash occurred as a result of Schumacher losing control of the car at the exit of the first chicane of the Pool, after which he crashed into the barriers inside, ruining the deformable front end, and was unable to avoid crashing into the entrance of the second chicane.
The impact, fortunately, was not devastating, but rather along the lines of the one suffered by Daniel Ricciardo in practice on Friday, but the dynamics of the crash at a different angle with respect to the Tecpro barriers caused the Haas to split in two.
El Haas VF-22 de Mick Schumacher, partido en dos during el GP de Mónaco
Seeing the rear of the car, where the gearbox is housed, spinning at will around the track made quite an impression, especially at the time when it was not yet known that Mick was unharmed, protected by the solid bodywork. built by Dallara in Varano de’ Melegari.
It is the second time this campaign that the Kaiser’s son has been involved in a serious accident. Schumacher also crashed in Jeddah, at a considerably higher speed than in Monaco, but also managed to escape the impact unharmed, proof of the safety advances that have been made in the series.
El Haas de Mick Schumacher tras su accident en el GP de Saudi Arabia
But is it fair to ask if there is a structural weakness if an F1 car hits the barriers at a certain angle and perhaps the protection acts as a lever? The FIA and members of the Safety Commission study accidents to scientifically assess their causes and effects.
The 2022 single-seaters, by regulation, can only have two couplings from the gearbox to the engine (two in the upper part of the box and two in the lower part). Let’s remember that both the engine and the gearbox are part of the supply that Ferrari assures Guenther Steiner ‘s team, so the breakdown that occurred in Monte Carlo also affected the Prancing Horse ‘s technical staff.
The accident of Mick Schumacher in Mónaco
Seeing a rear end wandering around the track is certainly not safe, so all aspects of the failure will be carefully evaluated, but it is interesting to note that the Haas VF-22 came out of an impact like the one it suffered on the streets. of the Principality.
Considering what could be seen, it was easy to foresee the replacement of the chassis, engine and gearbox, something that would have made a big dent in costs for Haas, which is facing the budget limit.
In reality, the accident was, fortunately, more spectacular than serious, and it was possible to resolve it by replacing the bodywork and the outer part of the gearbox.
The Ferrari engine and gearbox in the Haas VF-22
Technicians led by Simone Resta have decided to prepare the spare chassis for Baku, as the one that crashed required repair work, but it will be available as a third body for the trip to Azerbaijan.
Therefore, there was no irreparable damage to the chassis, and even the power unit, the Ferrari 066/7 , came out of the accident unscathed: the only part of the structural elements that could not be saved was the external gearbox, but as impressive as Mick Schumacher’s accident was, Haas’s car came off more than fine.
