Toto Wolff says it’s a waste of time talking about Red Bull boss Christian Horner but believes Horner is ‘obsessed’ with him; In the 2022 Sky Sports interview, Horner said “it’s very easy to pull on your chain” when discussing Wolff
By Amar Mehta
Last updated: 1/21/23 1:23 PM
Toto Wolff believes he lives “rent-free” in Christian Horner’s mind and thinks it’s “a waste of time” to talk about the Red Bull boss.
The Mercedes boss and Horner have publicly feuded on several occasions, with Horner attacking Wolff during an awards show in December, joking that his rival was Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards.
When asked what he thought of their rivalry during an interview The times, Wolff said: “I live rent-free in his head. The guy is obsessed.
“Every second I spend talking about Horner is a waste of my life.”
The rivalry between the two came to a head in the 2021 season as Mercedes and Red Bull battled it out for the championship.
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Certainly no love was lost between Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull boss Christian Horner in the 2021 title fight
The season ended in controversy when Michael Masi made a controversial safety car decision that allowed Max Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton to the title.
Wolff spoke openly about the post-race frustrations in Abu Dhabi, saying Masi’s decision during the race violated the “principle of fairness”.
“At the end of the race, one individual (Masi, who has since been replaced) made decisions that weren’t accounted for anywhere in the rulebook and were so drastic that they made the result unbelievable.
“That’s a moment when you don’t fall in love with the sport anymore… the principle of fairness has been violated.
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Take a look at some of the best overtakes of the 2022 season.
“The FIA took the guy off the job because it was a human error. But now it’s done. I still think about it a lot, but not with anger; it just doesn’t understand how it came about.”
In the 2022 season, Wolff and Horner had quarreled bouncing cars, illegal flexible floors and the Line of the cost cap.
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In August 2022, Martin Brundle spent time with Christian Horner at his country home to discuss all things Red Bull
Horner: Pulling Wolff’s chain is easy!
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports In August 2022, Horner was asked about his rivalry with Wolff, saying “it’s very easy to pull your chain”.
“Toto is Toto. He did a phenomenal job at Mercedes. He obviously comes into the sport from a completely different background than me, he has a financial background above all,” he said.
“And it’s very easy to tug on his chain and you can see it. Sometimes it affects him. So of course when you compete and last year was so intense and of course it was the first time he was in that situation it’s always interesting to see how people react.
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“And when they smash headphones and stuff like that, you know they got caught.”
When asked if he thought he was a better team boss than Wolff, Horner added, “I can’t judge that…
“I’m focused on what I’m doing, you’re the judge and jury. Sometimes we get judged by Sky but that’s not for me… I’m focused on what I’m doing and he’s focused on what he’s doing.”
