Horner lashes out at Wolff: 'Why does he have to say all this sh*t?'

It has long been clear that Toto Wolff and Christian Horner are not good friends. In 2021, their rivalry heated up due to the title fight between Red Bull and Mercedes, and Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Since then, the on-track rivalry has subsided due to Mercedes' disappointing performance, but the off-track rivalry has remained.

In a recent interview, Wolff rekindled that fire. The Mercedes team boss looked back at the Susie Wolff saga, when all teams came up with a joint response. According to Wolff, one team boss hesitated when signing that off: Christian Horner.

"Toto sent me a text message at the end of last year to say thank you for standing up for Susie today and showing them that there is a red line and the teams are together. And I said “no problem, I said what I believe. So why he needs to go and say all that s*** this week, I have no idea," Horner said.

Horner disappointed in Wolff

"I was a little surprised to see his comments because he thanked me for his support. I have not said one word. I have not risen to Zak’s [Brown] bait. I have not risen to Toto’s bait. I’ve had him chasing our drivers. I have had them chasing our sponsors. I have just thought 'let them get on with it'," Horner added.

The team boss was accused of inappropriate behaviour against an employee, and the Brit says the competition took advantage of that. According to Horner, he was kicked while lying on the ground.

"What I was disappointed with the most – and I have been in the sport a long time now – was the way that some of the rival teams looked to take advantage. When I was down, Toto came after me. So did others. They tried everything, for their own gain. It's a competitive sport, I understand that. It is a competitive business and I get it. People use whatever tools they can. It was to be expected, I suppose, from the people involved," Horner concluded.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton