Toto Wolff labels Christian Horner ‘obsessed’ with huge swipe at rival

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Mercedes principal Toto Wolff has taken a massive swipe at his Red Bull counterpart – stating that Christian Horner is ‘obsessed’ with their rivalry. Red Bull dominated the 2022 season with Max Verstappen winning his second driver’s championship and the team winning the constructors crown for the first time since 2013 – breaking a dominant Mercedes spell.

Rival principals Wolff and Horner went head-to-head during a dramatic 2021 campaign which saw Verstappen win the driver’s championship from Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Last year Mercedes struggled to match the pace of Red Bull, resulting in less confrontations between the constructor bosses.

However, during a piece with the Times, Wolff suggested that their rivalry was still as intense 12 months later. When talking about Horner the Mercedes boss said: “I am living in his head rent free. The guy is obsessed.”

However Wolff refused to go into any further detail regarding their relationship. He added: “Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”

During the 2021 campaign Hamilton and Verstappen were involved in epic on-track battles which often spilt over into the paddock with Horner and Wolff embroiled in a war of words. Wolff suggested his rival was a ‘protagonist in a pantomime’ reflecting on the way his rival reacted to an incident between Hamilton and Verstappen.

In response Horner fired back, telling The Daily Mail: “Look, we all know that Toto has a lot to say but I was quite flattered to be called a protagonist, if you look at the definition of what it means. You need an antagonist to have a protagonist and one could say perhaps Toto fits that role pretty well. If it were a pantomime, maybe the pantomime dame role might suit him.”

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Mercedes boss Wolff had his own view of the Red Bull challenge and their principal. He added: “Christian is a bit of a windbag who wants to be on camera. It’s easy to be punchy when you’re on the top of the times sheets but you should be a little bit more modest.”

After a disappointing 2022 campaign, the Mercedes team were given a glimmer of hope by completing a one-two at the Brazilian Grand Prix with George Russell finishing ahead of his seven-time world champion team-mate Hamilton.

However, both drivers have been told to be “realistic about expectations” going into the new season, which begins in Bahrain on March 5.

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