Never mind F1's boom time, one company really doing brisk business at present appears to be the ACME Hatchet Company. After all, no sooner had Toto Wolff and Christian Horner agreed to bury the hatchet over the 2022 season than they were at it again, and now, before the season has even begun they once again look to be on a collision course.

Shortly after Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W13 headed down the Bahrain pitlane this morning, the respected German publication Auto Motor und Sport ran a quote attributed to Christian Horner in reaction to the German car's 'missing sidepods'.

"The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations," he is quoted as saying. "For us, some parts are not legal."

"Christian Horner has not given any interviews regarding Mercedes' car," responded Red Bull, clearly aware that such pre-season controversy was a gift to the media, social and otherwise. "Any quotes being attributed to him this morning are incorrect."

While Auto Motor und Sport stood by its story insisting that this is what the Briton had told it, Red Bull responded: "Just so we're clear, we have made no official comment regarding Mercedes' car and will not be doing so," said the Austrian team, the key word being "official".

Subsequently caught by Sky Sports, Horner said: "I was slightly surprised to be reading comments I'm supposed to have been making, but there we go.

"I haven't paid a great deal of attention," he said of the Mercedes. "It's obviously a fairly different concept, but that's for the designer guys and aerodynamicists to get into."

Asked whether the Mercedes could be protested, he replied: "Let the guys digest it and understand it."

It begins.

Check out our Thursday gallery from Bahrain, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 11/03/2022 0:40

"i am not too sure who to believe but it has been stated that Horner did in fact say that 'some parts are not legal' but he was referring to the SIS becoming an aero [ wing ]device complete with vortex generators attached. At first glance he would appear to be right and given the Ferrari problems a few years back he has a point to make. i will just wait to see what appears at next weeks first race...if it's still there then there may well be a protest, if not then it's all been a red herring IMO. Horner is not whinging as some would have it, he's merely making an astute observation."

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2. Posted by bouncyt, 10/03/2022 17:23

"True to form for Whinger Spice. Technical innovation is what we expect for Formula 1 and for the competitors to be saying "wish we thought of that"."

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3. Posted by Hobgoblin, 10/03/2022 15:39

"'"I haven't paid a great deal of attention," he said of the Mercedes.'

Who is he trying to kid? Any out-of-norm design is going to get all sorts of attention. It's natural. It prompts the question 'what have they done - are we missing a trick?'

I would suggest that if he hasn't been paying it attention, he's not doing his job!"

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4. Posted by Max Noble, 10/03/2022 12:17

"…So The Joker fires the first cream pie in the face of the Season! Good work :-) Cannot wait to see this play out."

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