Mercedes have chance to copy Red Bull's secret weapon after Monaco GP incident

29 May 2023 , 13:31

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Sergio Perez's Red Bull car is removed from the circuit by a crane after he crashed during qualifying (Image: Getty Images)

Mercedes want to study the floor of Red Bull's car to help understand why they have been so dominant in recent years - as Max Verstappen chases his third straight World Championship.

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez collided in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday and both cars had to be airlifted away from the circuit. Fans spotted a significant difference in the floor of of the RB19 after the most dominant car in Formula 1 was destroyed alongside the Mercedes vehicle.

Several images displayed how Red Bull have manufactured the car to become so successful - and Mercedes insist they can study the pictures to understand how they made it. Perez is currently second in the Drivers' Championship standings, with Verstappen leading the way at the top.

"With these regulations, the most important bit is the bit you don’t normally get to see," Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said. "So the teams will be all over those kinds of photographs. Monaco is a good opportunity to get that kind of shot."

As for Perez's team-mate Verstappen, he cast doubt on his F1 future beyond his current contract which expires in 2028 - despite winning the Monaco Grand Prix. The reigning world champion is signed with Red Bull in a contract which still has five years to run, by which time he'll be 31. He debuted in the sport as a teenager and will have spent well over a decade as part of the grid, earning himself a reputation as one of the modern greats along the way.

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Max Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix (Getty Images)

Verstappen has never been shy of speaking his mind and has expressed his concern at the current direction of the sport, which continues to expand. The growing fanbase means Formula 1 bosses have added more races and changed the configuration of the race weekend - which the Red Bull star is not in favour of.

He told Sky Sports : "I know that I will be 31 when it's the end of my contract. At that point already I will have been in F1 a very long time and it's a lot of work. It's travelling a lot, not only the races but in between you're travelling to the factory, you have marketing commitments and I'm really a person who loves to be at home.

"I like to be competitive, and I like to win but if you can't fully motivate yourself to get to every race, then that's the point you have to question yourself, 'do you really want to continue?'"

Verstappen isn't the only F1 driver considering his long-term future in the sport. Mercedes' Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a big-money move to Ferrari.

Kieran King