Verstappen's engine may have survived crash – Honda

Jul.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s Honda engine may somehow have survived his huge 51G crash at Silverstone.

Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko told RTL that initial estimates are that “around three quarters of a million euros” in damage was done after Lewis Hamilton tipped the championship leader into the barriers at Copse corner.

He said he isn’t sure if the engine – just one of three units championship leader Verstappen can race in 2021 without penalty – is among the terminal damage.

“When I saw the pictures of the car, I immediately thought to myself ‘That’s a lot of damage’,” Honda technical boss Toyoharu Tanabe is quoted by France’s Auto Hebdo.

“But in reality, it seems to me that the damage is less than what I saw at first. However, it is still too early to make a precise assessment of what needs to be changed.

“We are sending the engine block to Sakura and will check all the details before making a decision. Honestly, I really don’t know the consequences for the engine after a 51G impact.

“It really depends on where it hit,” the Japanese added.