Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says his relationship with his Mercedes counter-part Toto Wolff has been blown into oblivion by this year's "intense political title fight" between F1's top two teams.
The fierce rivalry between F1's two leading teams and their star drivers – Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton – was gradually set in motion at the start of the season but has escalated against a backdrop of intrigue surrounding each team's back-and-forth technical advantage.
Red Bull's flexi wing was contested by Mercedes last spring while Mercedes' current straight-line speed is being viewed as suspicious by the Milton Keynes-based outfit which is threatening to protest Mercedes' rear wing design in Qatar, as it believes it is exploiting a "hidden" ploy to improve its car’s top speed.
The drama that unfolded in Brazil, with the FIA stewards excluding Lewis Hamilton from qualifying for a non-compliant rear wing only added to the acrimonious relationship between the two teams to which Verstappen and Hamilton have also contributed through their cutthroat rivalry and clashes on the track, the last of which also took place in Sao Paulo last weekend.
In Qatar on Friday, Horner - who was paired with Wolff in the afternoon's team principal's media conference - offered a status on Red Bull's relationship with its main competitor.
"There is no relationship, there's a competition," Horner replied when asked where his relationship with Wolff stood amid this year's tumultuous title battle.
"And I think it was interesting to hear Toto's views after the sprint race last week on his team radio.
"Look, we're going to push the maximum. We worked hard to get into this position. I think it's the first time they've been challenged.
"It's interesting to see how people react under pressure, how they react when they're challenged. It's by far the most intense political title fight we've been evolved in in our time in this sport."
On the other side of the boxing ring, Wolff shared Horner's view that there was no love lost between the two men, but he also insisted that Mercedes has full respect for Red Bull's "capability" as a competitor.
"There are many great people working in Red Bull and obviously many great people working at Mercedes, and it's a hell of a fight," Wolff said.
"There is a respect for the capability that Red Bull has, definitely. And it's clear that this is tough, it's the World Championship of the highest category in motor racing.
"What started as Olympic boxing went to pro boxing, and it's now an MMA [mixed martial arts fight], but that's okay.
"We are in the ring there, trying to do the best job possible. Elbows are out now because the rules say so and gloves are off. Nothing else is to be expected."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
