‘A waste of time in my life’: Toto Wolff on Christian Horner

Red Bull and Mercedes are expected to be in direct competition once again in 2023.

The relationship between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner is a fascinating one, with both team principals coming from very different backgrounds.

The Mercedes boss is from much more of a financial background than his Red Bull counterpart, meaning that the approaches of the pair towards their teams are very different.

The pair have come to blows on numerous occasions in recent years, with Horner often using press conferences to make sly digs at Wolff in an attempt to get under his skin.

Horner’s attempts to affect the Austrian have worked multiple times, as Wolff has been known to shatter his headphones and slam his desk in the heat of battle on a race day.

READ: Toto Wolff opens up on ‘humiliating experience’

The Red Bull boss has however explained that his insults and jibes at Wolff are nothing personal, as he is simply trying to get the better of his rival and does not have any malicious intent.

With the 2023 season opener in Bahrain fast approaching, it has surprisingly been Toto Wolff that has begun the verbal war between the pair, claiming that Horner is obsessed with him.

“I am living in his head rent free. The guy is obsessed,” he told The Times.

“Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”

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Fans were not treated to many fireworks between Red Bull and Mercedes in 2022, as both teams got off to very different starts to the new era of Formula 1.

READ: Aston Martin believe they can challenge Mercedes and Red Bull

Red Bull came flying out of the blocks and stormed to both championships, with Max Verstappen winning a record shattering 15 races on the way.

Mercedes struggled on the other hand, only winning a single race over the course of the season after sacrificing half a seasons’ worth of development to try and solve a major porpoising problem which hindered the W13 massively.

With the Silver Arrows much more confident about the performance of the W14 and Red Bull having to battle with their cost cap breach penalty, it is likely that F1 fans will be seeing Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen go wheel to wheel much more often this season, while Wolff and Horner continue to squabble off the track.