Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are two of the biggest rivals in the Formula 1 paddock. They head up two of the sport’s powerhouse teams in Red Bull and Mercedes.
The animosity between the two peaked during the 2021 season when Max Verstappen went head-to-head with Lewis Hamilton for the world championship. The bitter tussle went all the way to the season finale, and Verstappen won out.
Since then, Mercedes haven’t been able to topple the Dutchman. Instead, a resurgent McLaren have emerged as the team most likely to end the Verstappen dynasty.
But the political war between Wolff and Horner has played out in a different theatre instead. Now the Austrian is trying to sign Verstappen, who’s under contract until 2028 but is widely believed to have an exit clause in his deal.
Christian Horner says Toto Wolff is doing his ‘job’ by pursuing Max Verstappen
Speaking just over a year ago, Horner hit out at Wolff for publicly disclosing an interest in Verstappen. He may have viewed this as disrespectful and understandably bristled at the idea of losing an all-time great driver.
Pointing out that Mercedes were lagging behind engine customers McLaren and Aston Martin at the time, he sent a rather brutal ‘hands-off’ message to Wolff.
“His time would be better spent perhaps focusing on the team rather than the driver market,” Horner said, via BBC Sport.
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But now, in an interview with De Telegraaf during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Horner was far more measured. He was asked whether he understands why Wolff is ‘flirting’ with Verstappen, and McLaren’s Zak Brown called his manager in the winter.
“Of course,” he replied. “They wouldn’t be doing their job properly if they didn’t. But that doesn’t automatically mean Max will leave. It’s just part of Formula 1.”
Christian Horner will love how Max Verstappen responded to Ted Kravitz’s ‘unfair’ question
It’s unclear why exactly Horner has completely changed his tune. Perhaps he’s now more relaxed about Verstappen’s future.
Mercedes may have to ‘postpone’ their Verstappen pursuit, with the Brackley outfit expected to retain their current pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Aston Martin have also been heavily linked, but both of their drivers are under contract.
What’s more, Verstappen clearly feels a certain loyalty to Red Bull. He’s defended the team after the strategic mishaps that preceded his controversial clash with George Russell in Spain.
Verstappen ended an interview with Ted Kravitz because he felt the Sky Sports journalist had unfairly singled out Stephen Knowles, tasked with making judgement calls on the regulations. Horner will appreciate his commitment to maintaining unity.
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