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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has fired shots at Mercedes by claiming that teams and engineers were not too interested in the W14's floor when it was taken away from the track in the last practice session of the 2023 F1 Monaco GP.
Both Lewis Hamilon and Sergio Perez accidentally crashed at the event, forcing a crane to pick up their cars and deliver them back to the pits. As this happened, the cameras could not help but zoom in on both cars, especially their floors, which were completely exposed to everyone. Since teams usually keep the underbody section a secret, this was massive news.
According to formel1.de, Dr. Marko explained how the underbody is an important part of a car, and it being revealed like that is not the best for Red Bull. However, he did not miss the opportunity to take a jibe at Mercedes, mentioning that teams and engineers must have been more interested in Red Bull's floor than Mercedes'. He said:
"Of course we don't like it. The underbody is very important, but if you don't have the other parts and all the concepts behind it, then it's not that easy. And the Mercedes car hung in the air longer. But I don't think anyone was that attached to the Mercedes floor as people were in our car."
Even though the floor was exposed, the Red Bull advisor explained how the aerodynamic prowess is achieved through the front and rear wings working in harmony with the floor. Hence, he hinted that the exposed floor is not the worst thing that can happen to the reigning world champions. He concluded:
"It's not just about the ground, it has to work with the front wing and the rear. So it's all of those things together, and it's a lot more complex than just the floor."
Toto Wolff feels Mercedes upgrades are a step in the right direction
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently spoke about the team's performance in the 2023 F1 Monaco GP and felt that the big upgrade package had somewhat improved their performance. Though they are still miles behind the frontrunners, Wolff feels it's a step in the right direction. He said:
“It’s so difficult [to assess] because we were in the mix with Aston Martin and with Ferrari, I would say. On a positive note, maybe encouraging because we have never been really good here. We have been three tenths behind pole. Last year was six tenths, the car was awful last year and this time around the drivers said it’s not good. So, there’s a step in description."
The Silver Arrows are still in third place in the constructors' championship but are quickly gaining ground on Aston Martin. After the Monaco GP, both teams have a single point separating them.
