Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed that the team did not factor the sort of damage suffered to Valtteri Bottas‘ car at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix into their budget. Bottas was involved in a heavy collision with Williams driver George Russell at Imola, with both cars careering into the gravel after making direct contact. The wreckage was such that the stewards brought out a red flag and the team have since admitted that some parts of the car were 'damaged beyond repair'. With the cost cap having been introduced ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 season, Shovlin explained that incidents of this nature were not 'in the plan'. “We are all cost capped, and...
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