F1: Horner and Wolff continue to trade barbs as ugly F1 war rages on France

The barbs between Mercedes and Red Bull continue unabated.

Red Bull supremo Christian Horner delivered the latest blow when he shot back at claims made by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

The FIA are introducing new measures to stop teams from flexing their floors after speculation some were exploiting a loophole.

The heated F1 rivalry between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes re-ignited after the FIA issued a technical directive to teams regarding the floor of their cars.

This is where the war between Horner and Wolff reignites, with the Mercedes boss believing both Red Bull and Ferrari have pushed beyond the boundaries of the rules.

“I think so. I haven’t been able to squeeze the skids of certain teams,” Wolff said when asked by Sky Sports if he thought teams were pushing the limits.

The notion from Wolff was quickly slammed by Horner as he reiterated his team wasn’t bending any rules with a flexing floor.

“That’s total rubbish,” insisted Horner. “Absolutely no issues or concerns on our floor.”

Horner also delivered a clip to the Mercedes boss by saying he was “referring to the cars around him at the moment”. A parting shot due to Mercedes’ struggles to keep up with Red Bull and Ferrari.

Horner believes the recent showings indicate the Mercedes team have got on top of their recent issues and could put them among the front row.

“We’ll expect them to be quick in [Paul] Ricard,” Horner said to motorsport.com. “They’re showing flashes of being there or thereabouts.

“The last two races have been pretty decent for them and there’s been no sign I think of any porpoising at all, so they seem to be slowly bringing themselves back into the game.”

As the championship race continues to heat up, Horner believes the return of Mercedes will add extra intrigue as Verstappen looks to claim his second straight world championship crown.

“I think they’ll be a contender,” he reckoned. “They keep consistently scoring points.

“I’m not sure how far off they are in the constructors’ or drivers’ [championships] at the moment, but you know, sometimes having more cars in play is a good thing. Sometimes it might be a bad thing.

“But I think for the fans it is great to have six cars, competing for victories.”