A full month before the F1 season gets underway, the sabre-rattling has started between Mercedes and Red Bull, with Toto Wolff taking a swipe at his counter part at the Milton Keynes-based outfit Christian Horner.
The intensity of one of Formula 1's tightest championship battles of all time in 2021 led to Wolff and Horner being at each other's throats as the season reached its controversial climax in Abu Dhabi.
As hostilities boiled over, the war of words between the two men undermined their professional relationship. Last year however, as Red Bull led the charge in the championship while Mercedes faltered, Wolff and Horner got back to a more cordial state of affairs.
But in an interview this week with the Times, when asked about his relationship with Horner, Wolff could not help taking a dig at his Red Bull nemesis.
"I am living in his head rent-free," Wolff said. "The guy is obsessed.
"Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life."
Read also:
Wolff celebrates this month ten years at the helm of Mercedes, but admits that Lewis Hamilton's 2021 defeat against Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi was his team's most difficult period.
"We have been together now for many years, and talk as often as possible," he said, describing his relationship with Hamilton.
"That period was incredibly difficult, because he had given it everything and was on the verge of a huge achievement [winning a record-breaking eighth world title].
"One of the most difficult things in sport is processing disappointment. That is when the team comes into its own."
But despite the pain and massive frustration engendered by the events that unfolded at Yas Marina in 2021, Wolff's heart remains firmly entrenched in F1.
However, his greatest joys in life are found far away from the race track.
"I have great moments in F1," he said. "I love the team, I love the challenge.
"But what I really love is my family. I have three children, who are 21, 18, and five years old. Having the family together is what gives me the greatest enjoyment.
"And with my wife [Susie Wolff] I have found the perfect partner. My wife can drive cars faster than I. But that is the least of her attributes. We are total soulmates."
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
