Verstappen's engine at Silverstone 'could be saved': Honda

The impact following the collision between Max Verstappen et Lewis Hamilton during the first lap of the British Grand Prix was of rare violence. The sensors detected a deceleration of 51G for the Dutchman. After concern over Max Verstappen's state of health, who was taken to hospital but has since been released, it is about the extent of the damage that several questions arise, particularly in view of the capped budget.

At the start of the season, Mercedes lost $1 million to repair the car Valtteri Bottas, following the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and his collision with George Russell. Helmut Marko, for his part, announces an addition “around €750” and fears having to completely change the chassis of the RB16B.

The other concern for the Austrian team is with the engine. With such a violent impact, the state of the championship leader's power unit could pose a problem if it was no longer usable, especially at the end of the season with penalties to be expected if Red Bull exceeds the accepted quota. Honda, however, wants to be reassuring.

"When I saw the images of the car, I immediately said to myself: 'There's a lot of damage,' says Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda technical director F1. But in reality, it seems to me that the damage is less than what I first saw. However, it is still too early to make a precise assessment of what needs to change. We will send the engine block to Sakura and we will check all the details before making a decision. I really don't know the consequences on the engine after a 51G impact. It really depends on where it hit.”

As a reminder, pilots can only change internal combustion engines (ICE) three times. At Silverstone, Max Verstappen was on his 2nd engine. If it were to end up in the trash, the Dutchman would only be entitled to a new new engine, under penalty of penalty. An important detail for the second part of the season and the fight for the title against Lewis Hamilton.