The story behind the F1 paddock spy

Rear wing of Verstappen at Monza — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

The story behind the F1 paddock spy

An extraordinary story of paddock espionage has emerged

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 19 May 2026 21:00

An alleged professional Formula 1 spy has provided an account of their work within an F1 team.

F1 teams regularly have new design quirks which they attempt to keep hidden from their rivals, with Ferrari's Macarena wing from earlier this year a good recent example.

Now, a person claiming to be an alleged spy within the paddock has revealed the kind of work that they do to uncover some teams' clever quirks.

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo recently released their new series 'A Spy in F1', where they interviewed the individual employed to snap pictures of their rivals' cars for one team. Naturally, the 'spy' wished to remain anonymous, and what transpired added a whole new layer to the question of 'What the hell is Formula 1?'

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Firstly, how does someone become a F1 spy? It's not the type of role advertised on any Motorsport UK boards, and there isn't likely to be team internships for budding young snoops any time soon.

Speaking to MD, the paddock spy claimed that they began taking pictures in the paddock and were spotted by an F1 team, who then invited them to their motorhome.

"In that room were the team principal and several aerodynamics managers. We were introduced, and the team principal said my name, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, 'When do you start?'"

"They told me, 'Let's sign a contract. Tell us what you need. You tell us the money.' At that moment, I was lost. I didn't know what to ask for.

"They told me they would send me the offer midweek. But on Monday morning, I already had the contract written in my inbox. It was blank; I could write whatever I wanted.

"For example, the number of races I was going to do during the year. Of course, they required a minimum. They even offered me money to buy a new team. But I didn't want it because I already work well with mine. And that's how the story began."

Weapon of choice? Mobile phone

The paddock spy then revealed that their best tool isn't a professional camera, but instead their mobile phone, allowing them to remain concealed.

They continued: "The mobile phone camera, for example, is good. Because nobody thinks you use it for this. For example, at a grand prix last year, when the teams brought out the cars on Friday to show them, the car I was interested in was there and I couldn't enter the designated area if I took out my camera.

"What did I do? I took off the photographer's vest that the FIA gives you, left the camera in the press room, and went in with my pass, took out my mobile phone and got what my team needed."

They further unveiled how much precision is required in the role, particularly in finding the part their team has requested them to uncover on a rival's car.

"You have to be very patient to search, to intuit, to try to stay one step ahead of the teams. What are they going to move? When are they going to bring out that piece you're looking for? When will you be able to take the photo?

"At some point, that piece is going to be exposed, because they have to handle it and they have to put it in the car. So, that's where it's about getting the exact shot."

"The goal is to get a 360-degree view, which is very difficult because you have the entire periphery of the part. And from there, you send it to the team. The group can create models that can be put in a wind tunnel, do a thousand tests with that part, and assess whether it works or not in the car."

Has the paddock spy ever been caught?

On occasion, during the car display procedure, the paddock spy has been asked to delete the photos if he's been caught by a rival team. However, they asserted that the rival teams have never rumbled their true identity.

"Delete the photos," they revealed that they had been told on occasion.

"I’ve been made to delete photos at Red Bull, Aston Martin, and McLaren, for example."

They then revealed their trick when this happens. To hand them the phone so they can delete them themselves. But beforehand, they've already moved those photos to other folders that remain hidden on the phone. Or they fill the phone with dozens of other photos taken right after that key image so that the photos he needs are hidden among many others.

They added: "You know they’re going to catch you, and you have to know when to take those photos, what photos to take afterward, and what photos to keep taking so that when they catch you, they only delete the ones you want them to delete."

When they elaborated on the more extreme measures they've taken to capture photos of rival teams, further extraordinary details emerged.

"Once I borrowed a ladder from a maintenance room in the press room to climb onto a window and avoid the vinyl decal on the closed park," they concluded.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography