Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has conceded that it is “impossible” for his team to copy the Red Bull floor design in order to close the deficit to the championship leaders.
Pictures of the underside of the Red Bull RB19 swiftly circulated after Sergio Perez crashed out of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Photographers were quick to snap pictures of the underfloor of the Red Bull once it had been removed from the track by a crane.
But despite being able to examine the images of the Red Bull’s floor, Vasseur explained that finding performance isn’t as simple as copying from photos.
“I think that we all have a lot of pictures of the other cars,” Vasseur said.
“But then it’s quite difficult or even impossible to try to copy something because it’s more a global concept and you can’t copy just one part of the car.”
McLaren team principle Andrea Stella also responded to questions regarding what can be gained from the snaps.
“Personally I spent some time [looking], but the 100 aerodynamicists at McLaren will be spending a little bit more time,” he revealed.
“It’s very interesting indeed and also shows the complexity and the quality of their development. To be honest, when I saw it, I said ‘Hats off to Red Bull.’ I can understand why they have this kind of performance.”
Red Bull are currently runaway leaders in the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, winning at each of the six grands prix so far.
