The 2022 rivalry of Max Verstappen against Charles Leclerc has so far failed to live up to the drama that occurred in 2021, when Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton battled it out at virtually every single Grand Prix.
The fight wasn’t just fierce on the track; it was also fiery off the track too, however, not just between the two title rivals.
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff appeared to have their own rivalry, one that has at times spilled over into 2022.
The duo constantly spoke negatively about one another in the media last year, whilst reportedly having come to blows again at this season’s Canadian Grand Prix.
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Their disagreement at Montreal will be available for the world to see in the next series of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’, with the cameras for the documentary having been rolling whilst the incident took place.
Horner has since spoken to Sky Sports about his Mercedes counterpart, who he labels as “very easy” to annoy.
The Red Bull boss told Sky Sports in a recent interview that he actually has nothing against Wolff, who he says has done a “phenomenal job” at the Silver Arrows.
“It’s not personal in any way. Toto’s Toto. He’s done a phenomenal job with Mercedes,” said Horner.
“He’s obviously come into the sport from a very different background to me. He’s very much from a financial background.
“It’s very easy to pull his chain and you can see that it sometimes affects him. Last year was so intense and of course, it was the first time he’d ever been in that situation [involved in a close title fight].
“It’s always interesting to see how people react and, when they’re smashing headphones and so on, you can see you’ve got to them.”
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Horner’s “smashing headphones” comment is a reference to Wolff smashing his headphones against his table during the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Verstappen and Hamilton collided in dramatic fashion.
Wolff slammed his headphones after Verstappen appeared to brake-test Hamilton, who was unaware that the Dutch driver had been told to let the seven-time World Champion past after gaining an unfair advantage by cutting Turns 1-2.
Wolff was equally furious following the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he was captured talking to then race director Michael Masi on the radio.