Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has branded his old Formula 1 adversary Christian Horner an “a**hole” in an assessment of their longstanding personal rivalry.
Horner’s dismissal by Red Bull in July brought to an end the 51-year-old’s 20-year spell in F1, having led the Milton Keynes-based squad since its inception.
It also closed a chapter on one of the most fraught and public displays of verbal warfare between two Team Principals in the sport’s history.
Horner and Wolff’s rivalry often conveyed a genuine mutual disliking, amid Red Bull and the German marque’s on-track battle for supremacy.
Even right up to the end of Horner’s tenure, the pair could often be the subject of a verbal jousting, with Wolff blasting Red Bull’s protest of George Russell’s victory in Canada.
When asked to sum up Horner and his time in F1, the Austrian told Formula.hu: “What do I think [of Horner]?
“Well, that over the last 12-15 years, he has often behaved like an asshole.
“He operates according to completely different values, but even the greatest enemy has a best friend.
“On the other hand, he was extremely successful in what he did.
“Now that he’s gone, at least for a while, a real personality has left the sport.
“He was controversial and divisive, but he was one of the main characters here. We can safely say that he was as significant as a great driver.
“Looking at it purely from an F1 perspective, I don’t think there are many old-style team boss dinosaurs left here.
“Maybe just me. Maybe Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari team principal] is a bit of a dinosaur too!”
Wolff and Horner rivalry matched Hamilton and Verstappen’s
The pair’s contentious relationship came to a head in 2021, when their respective drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, conducted one of the most gripping Drivers’ Championship battles of all-time.
Verstappen, of course, came out on top at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, under controversial circumstances via a late Safety Car.
Whilst the Dutchman and the seven-time champion were the main protagonists, the two team bosses played their own role in the drama, too.
Asked if his rivalry with Horner might have been, at times, as memorable as their drivers’ battles, Wolff replied: “Yes.
“If you look at it, it really has always been an interesting story.
“Those years, but especially 2021, weren’t just about Max and Lewis, but also about Christian and me.
“What’s more, it was really difficult at times – and that’s in every history book and always will be.”
Wolff concluded and he might have to find himself a new rival, intimating that his own existence in F1 may not be as fun without Horner.
“He always said that I loved to hate him,” he said.
“So who should I hate now? It looks like I’ll have to find someone else…”
READ MORE – Red Bull’s F1 rivals regard Laurent Mekies as ‘perfect’ Christian Horner successor
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