18/08/2025 17:30
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has opened up on the recent
departure of Christian Horner, someone he jokingly describes as an
"asshole" but also a "real personality" who has left F1. Horner
had led Red Bull as its team principal and CEO from when the
Austrian outfit entered the pinnacle of motorsport in 2005, before
being axed three days after the British GP. The announcement
shocked the paddock, and represented the end of a huge era in the
history of the Milton Keynes-based outfit. During his stint with
Red Bull which lasted just over 20 years, Horner led the squad to
eight drivers' and six constructors' championships. Wolff and
Horner clearly had huge differences on how to run an F1 team;
however, even the Mercedes boss recognised the significance of the
Briton's exit from Red Bull. "What do I think? Well, that he has
behaved like an asshole quite often over the last 12-15 years,"
Wolff told Formula.hu on Horner's exit. "He operates according to
completely different values, but even the greatest enemy has a best
friend. "On the other hand, he was extremely successful in what he
did. Now that he's gone, at least for a while, a real personality
has left the sport. "He was controversial and divisive, but he was
one of the main characters here. We can safely say that he was as
significant as one of a driver. "Looking at it purely from an F1
perspective, I don't think there are many old-style team boss
dinosaurs left here. Maybe just me. Maybe Fred (Vasseur) is a bit
of a dinosaur too," Wolff replied with a big smile." 2021
Wolff-Horner drama The rivalry between Wolff and Horner truly
intensified during the famous 2021 season, where Lewis Hamilton and
Max Verstappen jostled for the title down to the controversial
final lap in Abu Dhabi. It was a year which saw the two team
bosses firing outbursts at each other, both to the media and over
the radio when speaking to former race director Michael Masi.
Despite the outcome of the season, the feud between Wolff and
Horner has gone down as one of the greatest between two team
bosses. When asked if fans recognising his feud with Horner as one
the all-time great moments brings him motivation, Wolff answered:
"Yes. If you look at it, it really has always been an interesting
story. "Those years, but especially 2021, weren't just about Max
and Lewis, but also about Christian and me. "What's more, it was
really difficult at times, and that's in all the history books and
will remain there. You know, he always said that I loved to hate
him. So who should I hate now? It looks like I'll have to find
someone else..."
