One of Formula 1’s enduring rivalries ended suddenly in July when Christian Horner was shown the door by Red Bull Racing after 20 years in charge, leaving Toto Wolff with mixed feelings
Toto Wolff has revealed the text message sent to him by rival Christian Horner after the Brit’s unceremonious exit from Formula 1. For a decade, they were rivals in the pit lane as Mercedes dominated for years after the Austrian’s arrival, before Horner and Max Verstappen stole the momentum from them.
Over his 20 years at the help of Red Bull, Horner oversaw eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championship successes. But all that came to an end in July when he was removed from his roles as team principal and chief executive.
F1 abruptly lost on of its biggest and most divisive characters, and Mercedes chief Wolff lost his biggest adversary in the pit lane. Discussing it at the Dutch Grand Prix, he admitted he has mixed feelings about Horner’s absence.
Revealing that Horner had contacted him since his exit, the Austrian said: « He said to me, ‘What are you doing now, because you love to hate me and I’m gone.’
« It’s a bit ambivalent because, A, his track record is very good – one of the most successful in Formula 1. So, clearly there are things he has done well. Within the team, I think he was to a certain degree, respected in Milton Keynes.
« But then we didn’t often have the same opinion or perspective. So, he has been a wonderful, great enemy over the years. Am I missing him? It’s quite strange to come here and Christian’s not going to be around. I mean, what are you doing with him not around? That’s a bit weird.
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« And then you have the pragmatism of [new Red Bull chief] Laurent Mekies. Suddenly you can have a conversation about the long term. We’re just totally different people, but even your biggest enemy is your best friend. »
Horner had been linked with a comeback with another team in the future, though Flavio Briatore on Friday shut down any prospect of him rocking up at Alpine any time soon. Wolff joked that the two of them working together, perhaps alongside former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as an investor, would be akin to a « mafia reunion ».
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But Wolff was also clear in his belief that the presence of such large characters is beneficial for F1 as a whole. He said: « Every movie needs the good, the bad and the ugly. The sport needs that.
« In the past we had those massive characters and I hope that some of the new team principals are going to grow into these roles in an authentic way, because you can’t fake it. Christian was one of those protagonists. He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an a**, and he loved to play that role. You need an a**hole, people need to hate someone. »
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