Toto Wolff and Christian Horner offered differing opinions on potential changes to the regulations to combat the quiques.
Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have offered differing opinions on potential changes to the regulations to combat pitting.
In response to the phenomenon of pitting seen this season, the FIA has released a technical directive that is expected to take effect from the Belgian GP.
Formula One teams may have to make changes to the floor to ensure they pass the new bending tests, and may be forced to increase the height of the car if it is judged to be bouncing too much.
Meanwhile, there are discussions behind the scenes regarding a permanent solution to the bumps next season, including changes to the design rules.
The biggest conflict of opinion relates to how many changes should be made for the 2023 campaign.
Red Bull, which has done well with this year's new regulations, publicly disagrees with an overhaul, while Mercedes, which has lost competitiveness, wants to see changes.
At the French GP, Horner pinned Mercedes by suggesting that "there is huge pressure" for next year's regulations to undergo significant changes so that "a certain team can run their car lower and benefit from that concept."
When Wolff learned of Horner's words during a conversation with the media, the Austrian downplayed their significance.
"I think he is simply bored at the front," he commented. "I don't know what he is referring to, because at the end of the day we are all part of the same circus, we work with the same participants."
"Pressure...isn't he pressuring? Does he sit in his office and not call anyone?"
When asked about the threat of rival teams taking legal action, Wolff continued, "You wonder why they are fighting so hard."
"I read in the media that it's not relevant, it's not a big change, so why are they fighting to the point of threatening legal action? No team is going to sue the FIA if they decide to implement something for safety reasons. I believe it's just posturing.
As for the current uncertainty over next year's regulations and whether Mercedes would accept a compromise, Wolff described the situation as "business as usual."
"There is an inherent problem in the cars that we're not seeing here, we didn't see in Austria or Silverstone because those are the flattest tracks of the year - however, it hasn't gone away," he said.
"The cars are too stiff and bumpy, and if you ask the drivers, probably most - if anonymity is preserved - will agree with that.
"I believe there was such a discussion among the drivers and also a result that nobody comments on, and I think we will see what will happen."
"It is not a question of compromise on the technical regulation, it is a technical regulation that protects the drivers. If these cars are too strict and they bounce around too much, let's do something about that now."
"Clearly, you want to make sure that nothing changes when you're riding at the front. When you're not at the front, you want a lot of changes."