Netflix cameras caught the moment Mercedes boss Toto Wolff raged at his rivals over attitudes towards fixing porpoising cars this season, with the footage possibly set to be aired on the next season of F1: Drive to Survive.
The meeting took place on Saturday morning, with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali inviting all team leaders to join him for a regular coffee morning ahead of the weekend's racing action in Montreal. Things did not remain cordial, though, with reports that a heated row broke out over porpoising.
Mercedes have been vocal about their wish for the FIA to intervene in the interest of driver safety, which the sport's governing body has now done. But other teams have been less keen about interference from above and those dividing lines seemed clear to see at the meeting.
The Mail on Sunday claimed Wolff 'lost his s***' with Christian Horner after the Red Bull chief objected to his assertions in a debate about the subject. He was not alone, as Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is also said to have echoed the belief that Mercedes are only being so vocal because they have struggled the most to fix the issue.
After being accused of "deliberately perpetuating" the risk to drivers and their health by refusing to support changes to the rules, Horner retorted by telling Wolff to get his "own house in order". These arguments all took place in full view of the Netflix film crew, recording content to be used on the next season of Drive to Survive.
Horner later admitted that the presence of the cameras may have led to more drama than might otherwise have been the case. "I think there was an element of theatre going on in that meeting," he told Autosport, before a dig about Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's upcoming Hollywood project.
Meanwhile, Wolff has voiced his frustration over a lack of support from rivals over porpoising. "This is a sport where you're trying to keep a competitive advantage or gain it but this situation has gone too far," he said. "All drivers – at least one in every team – have said they were in pain after Baku, that they have difficulty keeping the car on track or blurred vision.
"And team principals trying to manipulate what is being said in order to keep their competitive advantage and trying to play political games when the FIA tries to come up with a quick solution to at least put the cars in a better position is disingenuous and that's what I said."
