Christian Horner hits back at Toto Wolff: ‘A Mercedes concept issue, not F1’s regulations’

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hit back at Toto Wolff’s accusations of “pitiful” behaviour in F1’s bouncing row by saying Mercedes’ problems are down to them getting the regulations wrong. 
Horner hits back at Wolff: ‘A Mercedes concept issue, not F1’s regulations’

Wolff had a heated exchange wit🅰h Horner and Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto 𝔉during a team principals’ meeting on Saturday at the Canadian Grand Prix over the subject of cars bouncing. 

It came after the FIA issued a new technical direc👍tive on the eve of the weekend to try and help combat the mix of porpoising and bouncing the new ground-e♏ffect F1 cars are suffering with. 

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After qualifying in Montreal, Wolff slammed Merced🎃es’ rivals for being “disingenuous” and playing “political💃 games”, adding they were guilty of “manipulations in the background”. 

But Horner is standing firm in his position that other teams should not be punished for Mercedes’ failure to gꦺet on top of their bouncing issue.&💛nbsp;

“Obviously Ferrari presented its position regarding the TD and Toto is campaigning for a change in regulations - w♊hich is somewhat ir🃏onic because his car looked quite quick today with not a lot of bouncing,” Horner said after Sunday’s race. 

“And I think it was just pointed out to him clearly that perhaps his issues were within, rathe🌠r than everybody's issue?”

Toto Wolff (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 Shareholder and Executive Director. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 8, Azerbaijan Grand
Toto Wolff (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 Shareholder and Executive Director. Formula 1 World…

When asked about the meeting being caught by the Netflix cameras, Horner replied: “I think there was an element of theatre going on in that me😼eting, so maybe with Lewis's new movie coming along he's ꦯgetting in role for it.”

Horner a🐼lso dismissed Wolff’s claim that Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had been among the drivers to raise concerns about the regulations amid fears over possible long-term health impacts. 

“The issue with Mercedes is more severe, or certainly has been p♒rior to [Canada], than any oth♋er car,” he added. 

𓂃“That surely is down to the team - that’s within their control to deal with 🔯that. 

“It's not affecting others, I know they've said that other drivers have been complaining, our drivers have never complꦿained ever about po🍬rpoising or...they've said certain circuits could do with tidying up and perhaps resurfacing in places. 

“But certainly we haven't had an issue with bouncing. The problem is they are running their cars so stiff, I think their conc🍒ept is the issue rather than the regulation.” 

Teams will get on top of bouncing in time 

Horner believes tea🦋ms will ultimately control the bouncing issues over time and do not need the FIA’s intervention to help.

He argued that F1’s governing body the FIA are within their ☂right to simply disqualify any car that is deemed to be dangerous and a risk to other comp🅷etitors. 

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W13. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, Canada, Race
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W13. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian Grand…

“The teams have got some of the brightest engineering 🧔talent in the world,” Horner said. “Things will converge. 

“I ജdoubt we will be sitting here next year talking about the bouncing even if the regulations were left alone. These cars are still relatively new, they are still as teams add developments to their cars you'll probably see them ജstart to address some of these issues. 

“You can't just sudd🦹enly change technical regulations halfway through a season. If a car is dangerous, a 🍎team shouldn't field it. It has that choice. 

“Or the FIA, if they feel an individual c✤ar is dangerous, they always have a black flag at their 𒆙disposal.” 

Meanwhile, Binotto has made Ferrari’s stance on the matter clear, reveal🎐ing꧃ the team has told the FIA they do not consider the technical directive to be “applicable”. 

“For us, that TD’s not applica🔯ble,” Binotto said. “And it’s something we mentioned to𒅌 the FIA.

“A TD is there to clarify regulations, or to address policing. 🃏It is not there to change the regulations. That’s [a maꦛtter of] governance.”

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