Wolff: Hamilton doubtful for Canada | Horner questions Merc complaints

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has accused Mercedes of exaggerating Lewis Hamilton's physical struggles after Toto Wolff declared the Briton a doubt for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton described Sunday's Azerbaijan GP as the "most painful" as his career as the combination of Mercedes' problematic W13 car and the bumpy street circuit left him exposed to severe bouncing.

Before the start of the race, Wolff told Sky Sports F1 he was unsure whether Hamilton would be able to complete the full 51 laps due to back pain.

The seven-time world champion drove impressively to finish fourth, but expressed his discomfort during the race and appeared severely hampered as he exited his car afterwards.

"That was the most painful race I have experienced, the toughest race I have experienced," Hamilton said.

"I am worried for every time we are going to be back in the car

"There were a lot of moments where I didn't know if I was going to make it, there was one where I didn't know if I was going to keep it on track."

Wolff said Hamilton was "definitely" at risk of missing the Canadian GP, with back-to-back race weekends proving far from ideal for Mercedes on this occasion.

But Hamilton did later hint he would be in Canada, posting on social media: "Even when it's painful, still we rise. Thanks for the love, see you all next week."

The struggles of Hamilton and other drivers have led to a debate in the paddock as to whether Formula One's all-new design regulations for 2022 need to be altered to protect the sport's stars.

"I haven't seen him or spoken to him afterwards, but you can see this is not muscular anymore," Wolff said. "This goes properly into the spine and can have some consequences.

"He's really bad and we just have got