Rookie Sergio Pérez’s Malaysia Grand Prix finished on a sour note after the Mexican ran on a piece of debris, which caused the engine the stop.
An unidentified piece of heavy debris punched a hole in the Ferrari-powered C30 chassis, and damaged the electronic control unit of the engine.
It was initially believed that a loose piece of ballast from a Toro Rosso caused the damage.
But the Italian team denied the charge, moving Charlie Whiting to write a letter to all the teams asking them if a piece of their car was missing after the Sepang event.
"Until now he has received no answer," said Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
Said Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder: "It could have been a drain cover."
The chassis was so badly damaged that a new one had to be send urgently from Swizerland.
In freight costs alone, Sauber spent EUR 30,000 to send a new chassis to China.
An unidentified piece of heavy debris punched a hole in the Ferrari-powered C30 chassis, and damaged the electronic control unit of the engine.
It was initially believed that a loose piece of ballast from a Toro Rosso caused the damage.
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| Sergio Pérez, Sauber (Photo: WRI2) |
But the Italian team denied the charge, moving Charlie Whiting to write a letter to all the teams asking them if a piece of their car was missing after the Sepang event.
"Until now he has received no answer," said Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
Said Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder: "It could have been a drain cover."
The chassis was so badly damaged that a new one had to be send urgently from Swizerland.
In freight costs alone, Sauber spent EUR 30,000 to send a new chassis to China.