Ferrari says there is no sign that Sebastian Vettel’s engine sustained any damage after the German was hit twice by Daniil Kvyat on the opening lap of last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull man, who has since stepped down to Toro Rosso, first hit Vettel’s SF16-H at the rear at Turn 2 before ramming into him again at the next corner following the four-time world champion’s sudden deceleration.
Asked about the extent of the damage in the immediate aftermath of the race, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene had replied: “At the moment I don’t know.
“The car is coming back and we will check. The crash was quite hard, especially from the back of the car. Like last time until we have the car at home and we are inspecting the car you can’t say anything. Yes, the car looks damaged but it depends where he crashed!”
Autosport now reports that, following investigations at Maranello, Ferrari has cleared Vettel’s engine. The German ran an upgraded engine in Sochi after the Scuderia spent three development tokens in a bid to get its season back on track in the wake of reliability issues.
Vettel also took a five-place grid penalty in Russia when Ferrari had to replace the gearbox he had used at the previous Chinese Grand Prix, and which had been damaged in his first-corner collision with team-mate Raikkonen.
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Scene at the Russian Grand Prix
