Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has disclosed Sergio Perez’s huge opening-lap crash in Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix has cost the team “about two to three million”.
Perez was striving to rebound from a disastrous qualifying in Monte Carlo which saw him post the 18th slowest time in the opening segment and be eliminated in Q1.
However, the Mexican would not even navigate the first sector as Kevin Magnussen’s attempt to squeeze past running up Beau Rivage pitched his Red Bull into a spin.
Perez clattered into the barrier on the right-hand side and his RB20 came to rest on the other side, with the melee having also collected Nico Hulkenberg’s sister Haas.
Perez emerged unscathed from the incident that caused a stoppage, but his Red Bull incurred sizeable damage which Marko has estimated to be a considerable blow.
“This is costing us about two to three million and with the budget cap that is of course a big handicap,” he told Sky Deutschland.
“It was another crash that Magnussen was involved in. You should watch the replays carefully.
“Thank God it ended well, but it was a critical situation.”
Perez expressed that he was “surprised” the stewards decided no further investigation was needed on the incident, arguing that Magnussen should have backed out.
But while Magnussen claimed that he had the right to slot his nose into the closing gap, Marko concurred with Perez’s viewpoint and named it a “dangerous” collision.
“I was surprised, though, how quickly the stewards dealt with the matter,” Marko continued. “These are decisions you can hardly influence, but it was just dangerous.”
He added: “You have to put it behind you. It’s a shame.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner wouldn’t be drawn on the exact figure post-race but labelled the scale of the clash as a “heart in mouth” moment.
“Don’t know on the engine and the chassis [damage] but it is obviously a significant accident so it’s a costly one, very costly,” Horner stated.
“It was a horrible-looking accident and your heart is in your mouth at that point and immediate focus is on the safety of the driver. Cars can be fixed.
“The structure and the halo and everything did its job. The most important is Checo was able to walk away from what looked a very nasty incident, unscathed.”
