Why a lack of needle is a mirage

“Last year there was a lot of needle. There was a lot going on off-track, as well as on. This year seems much more focused about on-track.”

So said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner at the Miami Grand Prix. This was shortly after he’d entered the room nearly 10 minutes before the start of the session he was appearing in was due to start, without waiting for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to finish a point. Perhaps that was an attempt to put his rival off to do – find any way at any moment to pry and needle their way to a competitive edge. Even if it appears staggeringly petty (and even imagined).