F1: Red Bull chief laughs as Mercedes struggle ahead of 2023 season opener

The rift between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff continues to deepen as the competition at the top of the grid heats up. The pair maintained a respectful relationship for many years, but now their banter is starting to develop into a full-blown feud.

The animosity has been brewing for a number of years, and now it appears as though both team principals are no longer holding back to keep things civil. In the recently released episodes of the hit Netflix series "F1: Drive to Survive," Horner laughed out loud while talking about how much he and most of the other team bosses are enjoying how Mercedes faced problems early in the 2022 season.

Mercedes dominated the Constructors' Championship for eight straight years, also winning the Drivers' title in seven of those eight years. In 2021, Red Bull's Max Verstappen managed to wrestle the title away from Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton under controversial circumstances. But when 2022 rolled in, it became immediately evident that Mercedes won't be as competitive as they had been for most of the previous decade.

This made Horner giddy with excitement as he watched Wolff squirm with anxiety over the porpoising problems that Mercedes could not shake. Speaking to Netflix, Horner said: "Each team you can see is making progress but Mercedes look in a bit of a mess. It's a very different landscape for Toto, it's something he's not been used to since he's come into Formula 1 where suddenly, he's on the back foot."

The Red Bull chief then laughed out loud while talking about the Silver Arrows and their problems, adding that he was not the only one who was amused. "So yeah, everybody's quite enjoying it," he said.

There was definitely some truth in what he said, as the other team bosses were clearly on his side when they all sat down for a meeting with FIA head Stefano Domenicali to discuss safety regulations in connection with the porpoising problem.

The other teams have managed to find a way to keep their cars bouncing at a manageable level while maintaining speed. Mercedes were keen on having the FIA introduce new regulations to help them with their porpoising issue while insisting that it is meant to keep drivers safe.

Horner flat out told Wolff that he should find a solution to his own team's problems. "Change your car! You have a problem, change your f***ing car!"

The other team principals could be seen watching in amusement as the two rivals butted heads, with some of them even chuckling slightly.

The relationship between Horner and Wolff could not have improved after Red Bull won both titles in 2022, and with the new season about to start, it remains to be seen if they will still be fighting at the top. Scuderia Ferrari were Red Bull's biggest competitor last year, and Mercedes will want to change that after failing to win a single race throughout the entire campaign.