Sergio Perez crashed out of qualifying at Sainte Devote and, due to the tight confines of the principality street circuit, his RB19 was hoisted out of the way - allowing photographers to capture its floor.

Given engineers estimate 60% of car performance is now generated by the underbody aerodynamics following the 2022 switch to ground-effect rules, teams have kept this area a closely guarded secret.

The heavily upgraded Mercedes W14 was also similarly exposed after Lewis Hamilton crashed in FP3.

But Mercedes trackside engineering director Shovlin reckoned Red Bull, which has won every race so far this season, would be far more annoyed having the work revealed.

Asked by Motorsport.com whether Mercedes had inspected images of its rival’s concept, Shovlin said: “I suspect they’re pro

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