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Formula 1 cars have become highly expensive and incredibly intricate machines over the years.
Strides have been taken to make the sport as safe as possible on the world stage.
A crashed F1 car can take a toll on its driver and the team’s coffers.
The machines are predominantly made of carbon fibre, which is expensive but incredibly strong in the event of an incident.
F1 cars have developed from vehicles made from steel and aluminium in the 1950s to highly tuned rocketships dripping with technology in the 21st century.
A modern F1 engine costs $18.32 million (R343.6 million), according to MotorSport magazine, which is slightly less expensive than the most costly road car – the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail.
Williams Racing driver Logan Sargeant has had more than his fair share of crashes during his debut F1 campaign this year. The American has cost Williams $2.7 milllion, the most of any competitor on the F1 grid.
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The 22-year-old cost the British team $125 000 during his first home event in Miami, US, in May, before a hefty incident at the Dutch Grand Prix last month.
Just one front wing can set the team back $125 000 and is one of the more expensive parts on a modern Formula 1 car. The eight-speed gearbox costs an astronomical $500 000.
Two years ago, Mick Schumacher – the son of legendary Michael Schumacher – cost Haas $4.4 million, the highest damage bill on the 2021 grid.
At the time, Haas founder, Gene Haas, was far from pleased with the German driver.
“I think Mick has got a lot of potential but, you know, he costs a fortune, and he’s wrecked a lot of cars that have cost us a lot of money that we just don’t have.
The incredibly complex 1.6 litre V6 hybrid engines introduced in 2014 are intricate and expensive.
At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy two years ago, Williams driver George Russell and his Mercedes counterpart Valtteri Bottas were involved in a hefty collision on the pit straight.
Fortunately, the two walked away unharmed in that wet-dry thriller.
The pair collided at 320km/h as both men retired, subsequently costing their teams, Mercedes and Williams, a hefty cheque to repair the crash damage.
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Bottas’ Mercedes W12 suffered extensive damage as the German outfit was forced to fork out around $1.3 million.
The cost cap was brought in 2021 to ensure the teams spend less and the racing can stay more competitive.
This year, the 10 F1 outfits are limited to just $135 million; this constraint has put extra emphasis on keeping on the circuit as spare parts can be at a minimum.
The relatively low amount is more than half the estimated $400 million it took to build and develop a top-level F1 car in the pre-cost cap era.
Nonetheless, Formula 1 cars have become ultra-efficient machines that are safer than ever, with the brightest minds in the paddock introducing innovations to stay ahead of the competition.
