Toto Wolff enjoyed some rare cause for optimism on Sunday after Lewis Hamilton placed third in the Canadian Grand Prix, his first podium finish since the season-opener in Bahrain.
The result has put Christian Horner on alert despite Max Verstappen claiming a sixth win from his last eight races. In fact, Red Bull 's team principal appears braced for a stiff challenge from the Silver Arrows when the Formula 1 season resumes at Silverstone in a fortnight.
Mercedes have felt the strain as their W13 design has struggled to contend with the new regulations introduced this season. That pressure told on Saturday when Wolff allegedly "lost his s**t" at a meeting with F1's other team bosses in Montreal.
One source reported Wolff accused his peers of 'deliberately perpetuating' safety concerns by refusing to force a review of the regulations. Mercedes' cars have struggled more than most with 'porpoising' this season, with the issue recently rearing its head again at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Silver Arrows chief encountered resistance from Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto, who is said to have told Wolff he only wants reform because of his team's woes this year. Horner reportedly chimed in as well, telling the Austrian to put his 'own house in order.'
The Red Bull boss was more respectful following Sunday's drama, predicting Mercedes could be a force at the British Grand Prix after Hamilton and George Russell finished a respective third and fourth in Canada. "Mercedes' pace at the end of [Montreal] was very strong, and so they could be a factor in that race [the British GP]," he told Sky Sports F1. "So I think it's going to be interesting to see, I hear there's a few upgrades coming for Ferrari as well."
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Mercedes were at the heart of more recent tensions when they installed a floor-stay—a metal tube intended to smoothen the ride—after the FIA published a technical directive permitting such a change on Thursday. Other teams were said to have been suspicious of how Mercedes were able to react so quickly to the news amid suspicions of an insider tip-off.
"If we are able to run the car low [at Silverstone], then we could be competitive," said Wolff after the Canadian Grand Prix. "But you know after Barcelona we were cheering that we were back in the championship fight… so let’s see."
Raising the minimum height of this season's cars is one potential solution to reducing the amount of drag and hopefully eliminating concerns of bouncing. Red Bull, meanwhile, will target a seventh straight win at the British Grand Prix, with Verstappen hoping to stretch his lead at the standings summit.
