Mercedes' Toto Wolff outburst at FIA meeting over technical directive had 'an element of theatre' for Netflix, says Red Bull's Christian Horner

Christian Horner accused Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff of being overly dramatic in Friday's meeting ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix when the FIA's technical directive regarding the porpoising was discussed. The Red Bull team principal joked that the Austrian should be offered a role in Lewis Hamilton's upcoming racing film.

As reported by RacingNews365, Horner confirmed that Netflix was capturing all the drama and said:

"I think there was an element of theatre going on in that meeting. Maybe with Lewis' new movie coming along, he could get Toto involved in that. As a meeting, it was a shame that... I'm trying to pick my words carefully here. Obviously, Ferrari presented its position regarding the TD and Toto is campaigning for change in regulations, which is somewhat ironic because his car looked quite quick [in Montreal] with not a lot of bouncing."

Mercedes have been particularly vocal about the impact of the porpoising problems that are coming at the expense of drivers' physical wellbeing. Meanwhile, Red Bull does not see a need for intervention, emphasizing that a rule change in the middle of the season is not entirely a proper move.

Lewis Hamilton praises Mercedes' for their focus on reliability

While Mercedes have not been able to match up in terms of performance, Lewis Hamilton is certainly pleased with the car's reliablility as compared to their rivals.

After taking his second podium at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, in a post-race press conference, the Englishman said:

“It feels great today, to be in amongst the battle. And for a second, at the end there, I was just about keeping up with these guys – but then they pulled away at the end. But it’s given me and the team a lot of hope. I think that there’s more to come from this car.”

Hamilton added:

"One really great thing is we’ve got really good reliability, which I think is a real tribute to all the great work all the team are doing at both factories. So, we just got to keep our heads down, keep working ..."

The 2022 world championship leaders, Red Bull and Ferrari, have both struggled with their reliability at different times over the course of the season so far. Mercedes have not suffered a single DNF so far, which will most certainly be key in putting up a sustainable fight towards the end of the season.