Red Bull fears another F1 engine loss after Perez's Hungary smash
Red Bull fears that it has lost another Honda power unit in the wake of the hit that Sergio Perez took at the first corner of Formula 1's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Perez was collected by the out-of-control Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas at the Hungaroring's first corner, and suffered major damage to his car.
Although the Mexican was able to continue at first, he ground to a halt further around the lap when the engine stopped.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed after the race that the Perez retirement was the result of accident damage, and the initial inspection pointed to the power unit being permanently out of action.
"It lost all its water immediately," said Horner. "We'll have to look into it in more detail, but the initial reports are it will no longer be in service."
If the Perez write-off is confirmed, then he will have to move onto his third and final power unit of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix.
And on a weekend where Red Bull had to move Max Verstappen on to his third engine too following a crack being discovered on the unit that had been crashed at the British GP, it means Red Bull faces a double penalty blow later in the campaign.
Asked by Motorsport.com if there was any hope of seeing out the season without needing a fourth engine for either driver, Horner said: "Very little, I'm afraid.
"And that's hugely frustrating for Honda because it's not due to reliability, it's because of accidents that we haven't caused. So they're feeling the brunt of this as well as we are on the chassis side."
Horner said the Turn 1 incident which wrecked Red Bull's hopes was 'brutal' for the team as he suggested Bottas had done Mercedes a favour with his mistake taking out Verstappen and Perez.
"I don't think there was anything we could do," claimed Horner. "That's the brutality of racing, isn't it? I think that, unfortunately, you saw Valtteri make a poor start, he obviously misjudged his braking and he's done a great job for Mercedes in taking out both of our cars.
"There was a significant amount of damage. It cost another engine with Sergio and obviously Max was then hugely compromised."
Wolff stands by decision to not pit Hamilton before F1 restart
Grand Prix race results: Ocon wins wild Hungarian GP F1
Third-generation McRae to tackle Junior European Rally Championship
Max McRae will make the next step in his fledgling rallying career by taking on the Junior class in the European Rally Championship this season.
Kvyat and Bortolotti join Prema's expanded WEC line-up for 2023
Ex-Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat and factory Lamborghini racer Mirko Bortolotti have been named as part of Prema’s two-car line-up for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger
Formula 1 broadcasting has undergone many major advancements in the past decade in a push to better inform fans and enrich their viewing experience.
Hazelwood reflects on maiden Gen3 test
Todd Hazelwood has walked away from a highly-scrutinised first team Gen3 test excited by the latest generation of Supercars hardware.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.