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 Autosport whether Mercedes had inspected images of its rival’s concept, Shovlin said: “I suspect they’re probably more annoyed at their car being left in the sky than we would be about ours.”
Many were quick to note that, when the RB19 was lifted, it stayed far more level than the Mercedes, which tipped towards its rear to suggest a biased weight distribution.
Source: Autosport