RED BULL boss Christian Horner has taunted Toto Wolff as his team stands on the brink of winning the F1 constructors’ championship for a sixth time.
Merc boss Wolff quipped that Max Verstappen’s record of 10 straight victories after the Italian GP was “irrelevant” and something “for Wikipedia”.
The disingenuous remark drew criticism and Horner could not resist poking fun at his opposite number as Red Bull edge closer to winning the title in Japan this weekend.
Reflecting on Red Bull’s rise since the team was formed in 2004, Horner said: “When I first came in it was clear that [Red Bull owner] Dietrich [Mateschitz] had come into F1 because he wanted to compete and had bought what was the Jaguar F1 team which had been a sort of perennial seventh place finisher.
“It was about then constructing a team and I don’t think anyone of us could have envisaged what lay ahead of us.
“Within 19 seasons we’ve achieved what we have and it’s been a phenomenal journey so far.
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“But it’s never a question of looking back, it’s always a question of looking forward.
“If we can close out these championships in the coming races that again, well nobody looks at Wikipedia these days, but that again is a huge statistic that everybody will be immensely proud of.
“I think for us, it then becomes about next year, the year after and, of course, the next chapter for Red Bull, which is with the relationship with Ford in 2026 with producing our own powertrain.
“Going from zero with a startup company effectively and building a facility. That is the next challenge.
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“But it’s been quite a journey, and hopefully, there are a few more chapters to go.”
Verstappen looks on course to resume his place on the top step of the podium after dominating the two practice sessions in Suzuka.
The Dutchman led the way in FP1 and FP2 as he put his struggles in Singapore behind him.
He said: “It felt really good today. From lap one the car was enjoyable to drive again.
“It seems like we had a strong day, on short runs, long runs… There’s a lot of degradation on this track, so it will be quite tough on tyres in the race. But so far we had a good start to the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Lando Norris has laughed off George Russell’s prediction that the McLaren man is one of the favourites for the victory this weekend.
Norris, who was third-quickest in both practice sessions, joked: “Has he seen the rest of the season at all? Has he been watching the races?”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
