IT’S a rivalry as fierce as that between the drivers on the track – and as the new Formula One season approaches it’s set to crank up a gear yet again.
But Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff’s feud dates back to long before Max Verstappen clinched that controversial world title back in 2021.
This week Wolff couldn’t resist a dig at his rival – who is under investigation over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague, which he denies.
The Austrian, 52, called for “transparency” amid the probe, adding that it has repercussions for F1 as a whole.
He said: “I think for Red Bull it started as an independent investigation, if this is done in the right way with transparency and with the rigour, I think that’s something that we need to look at whatever the outcomes are.”
Wolff and Horner are renowned for trading insults – often shown on the Netflix hit Drive to Survive, the new series of which drops today – and at times their wives Susie Wolff and Geri Horner have stepped in to help simmer tensions.
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As both men try to focus on pre-season testing in Bahrain, we reveal how their feud has played out over the years – and looks to continue firing on all cylinders.
Red Bull’s beef with Mercedes can be traced back to 2014, when rule changes saw them emerge as the most dominant team on the grid.
Wolff was at the helm when the team – having made a triumphant return to F1 in 2010 – clinched its first world title with Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes won the Constructors’ title with a 296 point lead over Red Bull Racing.
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At the time Horner was pushing for changes to the rules which would allow teams to keep developing their cars throughout the season, with no limits.
Rules stated teams could only change 92 per cent of their designs.
Horner’s pleas angered Wolff, who raged: “Nobody can really be in favour of an all-out engine war from 2016.
“No serious company would allow that to happen and none of the current engine suppliers could allow that to happen because costs would escalate totally out of control.”
A year later Horner was still banging the drum, claiming people would lose interest in F1 if the FIA made no changes to halt Mercedes, to which Wolff hit back: “Just get your f*****g head down, work hard and try to sort it out.”
‘Meddling’ with Max
Things came to a head in 2016 when Wolff phoned Vertstappen’s dad Joss to discuss Max’s aggressive driving following his crash with Nico Rosberg.
Horner was furious, stating: “It’s totally wrong. They’ve got their own business. To be meddling in other teams’… maybe he does that with Ferrari, but he shouldn’t do it.
“He’s got no right to tell Max how he should drive and conduct himself.”
Things really boiled over in 2021, with Wolff branding Horner a “windbag who just wants to be on camera” during a row over Red Bull’s so-called ‘bendy wing’.
He added: “It’s about being punchy – it’s easy to be punchy when you’re on top of the timesheet, but he should be a little bit more modest I think.”
It’s totally wrong. They’ve got their own business. To be meddling in other teams’… maybe he does that with Ferrari, but he shouldn’t do it
Christian Horner on Toto Wolff
It came after Horner warned Wolff to “keep his mouth shut” and “be careful what you wish for” after hinting Red Bull could decide to protest Mercedes’ flexi front wings, alleging they looked “a bit worse than ours”.
During the close-run season, Wolff seemed rattled, at one point telling Hamilton over the team radio following a sprint race: “F**k them all.”
Horner added fuel to the fire, adding: “We worked hard to get into this position. It’s the first time they [Mercedes] have been challenged. It’s interesting to see how people react when they are under pressure, when they are challenged.”
When Hamilton and Verstappen collided at the British Grand Prix, both bosses rigorously defended their drivers.
It led to a “heated exchange” between the two principals, according to Horner.
Tensions then reached fever pitch when Verstappen snatched the world title from Hamilton on the final lap in Abu Dhabi thanks to a controversial safety car decision.
Horner told Tom Clarkson on the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast: “It really permeated at Silverstone where suddenly there was an awful lot of dialogue from Toto to [then race director] Michael [Masi].
“Then he’s (Wolff) sending him an email, and then he’s coming up. And I thought: ‘Right, okay, I’m not having that, I’m going up.’
“I felt it was incredibly one sided that a team principal should not be able to lobby and influence the race director and with hindsight, Toto and I had a fairly heated exchange in Race Control.
“At that event, where Toto was obviously arguing his corner that his driver shouldn’t be penalised, and I’ve got a driver in hospital and the car taken out of the race and was obviously feeling pretty aggrieved by it.”
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Horner claimed he was surprised by his main rival’s behaviour during the season, telling The Telegraph: “You could see that it boiled over in the garage next door on a few occasions.”
He admitted he enjoys winding up Wolff, telling the Guardian in October 2021: “The more Toto gets wound up, the more fun it becomes.”
Former Benetton driver Johnny Herbert called out the two bosses for their squabbling a month later, telling the Sunday Mirror: “I think many want to tell him ‘grow up’.
“They look like two eight-year-olds arguing in the schoolyard. One points to the other and says, ‘Look what he’s doing’.”
Cheating claims
The following year Red Bull was accused of cheating after it was found guilty of breaching the budget cap in 2021.
Wolff made it clear he didn’t feel the team’s £5.5m fine and 10 per cent reduction on aerodynamic development time was a harsh enough punishment.
He quipped: “I think they [Red Bull] have done a very good job last year in having a car out there that was half a second or more quicker than anyone else.”
Meanwhile Horner was seen on camera telling his drivers: “[It’s]fun and games with Mercedes over all this cost cap s***. I mean it’s unbelievable how much s*** Toto says.”
At times the team principals’ respective wives, Susie Wolf and Geri Halliwell, have stepped in, in an effort to keep the peace.
The Mercedes principal admitted he “really regrets” how things got so heated between him and his rival, and recalled being accosted by Susie for his “regretful” behaviour during the 2021 season.
He told Formula 1 magazine: “Susie pointed that out to me very clearly.
“She said, ‘Why are you having these kinds of discussions? You’re trying to win, respect that. Even if someone goes in that direction, you don’t have to’.
“That’s called female social intelligence. We sometimes have too much hormones.”
In March 2022 it seemed like the pair had put their differences aside when Horner praised Wolff for opening up about his mental health battle.
He told Sky Sports: “All credit to Toto for having the confidence to talk out about his own personal issues.”
Cheeky bum slap
In November last year, a picture emerged of former Spice Girl Geri offering Wolff a comforting hug as her husband watched on.
Everyone appeared to be grinning in the snap, suggesting the women had potentially managed to broker a peace deal.
Damon Hill, a Sky F1 consultant, said on social media: “Its heartening to see a bit of a moment of mirth as Geri Horner gives Toto a consolation cuddle.
“Easy to laugh when you’ve just wiped the floor with the opposition. Harder to do when you’ve been royally thrashed.”
It was later revealed the jovial mood came about because Geri had actually slapped Wolff’s bottom.
Horner later told Sky Sports: “It was an amusing moment because I think my wife had just smacked his bum so hard, I think it took him a bit by surprise.
“You probably can’t even see my clenched fist, it’s out of shot there.
“It’s been a long season and there has to be competition on track but there still has to be respect.”
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With Red Bull shrouded in scandal and Mercedes losing its number one driver to Ferrari next season, it will be fascinating to see how 2024 plays out.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 6 can be streamed on Netflix now.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
