Red Bull chief joins Ferrari in implying Mercedes-FIA inside connection

Ferrari were first to imply that Mercedes were allegedly colluding with the FIA to address their porpoising issues. After the FIA issued an ill-timed technical directive, Max Verstappen suggested that it was solely done to help one team (Mercedes) sort out their bouncing issues.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has now questioned the legitimacy of the ruling after Mercedes turned up with a solution in advance of the FIA technical directive (TD). Formula 1's governing body plan to monitor "vertical oscillations" suffered by every team, and put a limit via an algorithm that is yet to be developed.

Ferrari were quick to challenge the TD, which they feel is not valid. Binotto even questioned the timing of the new ruling, which he believes can only be used to clarify existing regulations and not implement new governance.

The controversy became murkier after Mercedes displayed a solution with a second stay on the floor of their cars in Canada to reduce the bouncing effect. This move surprised most teams, as the directive was issued when most teams were inbound to Montreal.

"There is a process of these things to be introduced," Horner said, as quoted on Autosport. "I think what was particularly disappointing was the second stay, because it has to be discussed in a technical forum.

"And that is overtly biased to sorting one team's problems out, which was the only team that turned up here with it even in advance of the technical directive," he added. "So work that one out."

Horner's comments came in the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix, where the team principals of all the teams met to discuss the TD issued by the FIA. Multiple reports claimed that the meeting got heated between Mercedes chief Toto Wolff and his Red Bull and Ferrari counterparts.

The Austrian even went on to describe his rivals as "pitiful" for their manipulating games when the safety of the drivers is in question. Horner, however, has described it as a "bit of theatre" owing to Netflix being present to film the meeting, as they were following Wolff around in Canada for season 5 of Drive to Survive.

"I think there was an element of theatre going on in that meeting," Horner said. "So you know, maybe with Lewis's new movie coming along, [they're] getting him enrolled for it."