Horner tips Hamilton to leave Mercedes boss Toto Wolff ‘in the s**t’

Christian Horner on Red Bull’s success and hints at next step

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Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks Lewis Hamilton will drop his fierce Mercedes rival Toto Wolff “in the s**t” when he retires from Formula 1. Seven-time world champion Hamilton has given no indication of walking away from the sport as talks continue over a contract extension with Mercedes.

Hamilton, 38, is chasing a record-breaking eighth world title this year after a desperate campaign last season where an uncompetitive Mercedes left him chasing shadows. The legendary Brit could not muster a victory for the first time in his garlanded F1 career in 2022, but is being tipped to reignite his epic title rivalry with Red Bull’s dominant Max Verstappen this year.

But the veteran’s unexpected struggles early last year – albeit due to his underperforming car – sparked rumours that he could be considering his future in F1 after he was dramatically denied his eighth world crown in controversial circumstances just months earlier.

And after suffering extreme back pain due to porpoising at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last year, retirement talk ramped up. Hamilton’s future was discussed in episode two of the new hit Netflix series of Drive to Survive, and Red Bull team principal Horner is seen weighing in on the debate surrounding the Mercedes driver.

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Horner tells his Red Bull colleagues that his rivals would be left in big trouble if Hamilton had decided that 2022 was his last year on the F1 grid. “If he did retire, who on earth would they take?” Horner said. “That would drop them really in the shit if he decides to retire.”

Then, in an interview with Netflix producers, Horner doubles down on his claim by adding: “What are Toto’s options if Lewis were to retire? It leaves him pretty exposed.”

Hamilton has since played down any retirement talk and is fresh and rejuvenated for the 2023 season, but it would be impossible for Mercedes boss Wolff to replace his experience and winning mentality in his team. Horner’s verdict came before an explosive encounter with Wolff in a team principal meeting at the Canadian Grand Prix.

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Wolff vented his frustration at the lack of rule changes after seeing Hamilton in severe pain due to unexpected bouncing of his W13 challenger in Azerbaijan.

But Horner bites back in a fiery exchange, suggesting the Austrian is ‘playing to the Netflix cameras’, and the heated battle comes to a head when the fiery Red Bull chief shouts: “Well change your car, You’ve got a problem change your f***ing car.”

All 10 episodes of the fifth instalment of the Drive to Survive series, which features the travails of Hamilton and the rivalry between Horner and Wolff, were released on Netflix on Friday.

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