Red Bull's floor is 'so curved you can't figure it out' says rival after photos emerge · RaceFans

28th May 2023, 11:0028th May 2023, 19:08 | Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham

Sergio Perez's crash in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix provided Red Bull's rivals with a vital opportunity to study the design of the RB19's floor.

Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free

However one designer said the sheer sophistication of Red Bull's floor layout will make it hard to copy even now they’ve seen it.

"It's so complex that on a 2D photo, because of the way the light is, it's so curved, you can't figure any of it out," said Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson.

"I guess it's just coincidental they do it all like that because that's how they get the downforce. But it doesn't half make it difficult to copy!"

The underside of Mercedes’ car was also seen after Lewis Hamilton crashed in final practice. But their trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said their dominant rivals will be more irked by having their secrets shown to the world.

"I suspect they’re probably more annoyed about their car being left in the sky than we would be about ours," said Shovlin.

"To be honest with these regulations the most important bit is the bit that you don't normally get to see. So the teams will be all over those kind of photographs. Monaco is a good opportunity to get that kind of shot."

The tight restrictions on weight distribution in F1 today means the sight of cars being lifted into the air by cranes doesn't reveal the same information it once did, said Shovlin.

"Years ago, when your weight distribution could be anywhere between 48% and 43 you paid a bit more attention to where people are. If they lifted a car, you could sort of try and work out where the centre of gravity was. These days you’ve got a pretty narrow window to work in by the regulations anyway."

Follow RaceFans on social media:

RaceFans strives to bring its readers news directly from the key players in Formula 1. We are able to do this thanks in part to the generous backing of our RaceFans Supporters.

By contributing £1 per month or £12 per year (or the equivalent in other currencies) you can help cover the costs involved in producing original journalism: Travelling, writing, creating, hosting, contacting and developing.

We have been proudly supported by our readers for over 10 years. If you enjoy our independent coverage, please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter today. As a bonus, all our Supporters can also browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

Promoted content from around the web | Become a RaceFans Supporter to hide this ad and others