Horner reacts to rival F1 teams ‘looking up skirt’ of Red Bull
F1 teams are sensitive about trying to guard the secrets surrounding their ground-effect floor designs, but both Mercedes and Red Bull’s were revealed across the Monaco weekend.
The undercarriage of Lewis Hamilton’s newly-updated W14 was put on display for all to see when his car was hoisted into the air by a crane following his crash in final practice.
And it was a similar story for Sergio Perez after the Red Bull driver crashed out of qualifying, with the RB19’s floor visible to photographers and watching rival teams.
Asked if he was concerned about Red Bull’s secrets being exposed, Horner joked: “It’s very rude to look up people’s skirts.”
Horner added: “It’s been a bit of a show and tell for all the teams this weekend. Everybody’s been up in the air at some point. So it’s the same for everyone.”
Horner continued to downplay the accidental reveal, stressing teams are already likely to have plenty of spy shoots of rival cars.
“Pictures of floors get taken in and around the paddock,” he explained. “They arrive in vans, they work with the cars, the shutters are up.
“Each team will be employing spy photographers to get pictures of the cars when they’re in parts and pieces. So that’s common practice.
“I wouldn’t have thought it’s the first picture of the floor. It’s probably the first time it’s been suspended from a crane. But all teams are always striving for that intelligence.”
