Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner has hit back at Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff as the pair's war of words reignites ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Earlier in the week, Wolff was critical of Horner, stating that he refused to support his wife Susie Wolff over an investigation by Formula 1's governing body, the FIA.
Back in December 2023, both Toto and Susie Wolff were placed under an investigation led by the FIA due to allegations of a conflict of interest.
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It was claimed that there were concerns about the Wolffs sharing confidential information from their respective employers. At the time, Wolff was in charge of the Mercedes F1 team while Susie was in charge of the F1 academy, a series for female drivers.
However, the probe was dropped by the FIA just 48 hours after the initial announcement, as they were satisfied that 'appropriate protective measures are in place to mitigate any potential conflicts'.
Reflecting on the investigation this week, Wolff spoke about the support he and Susie received from other F1 team bosses, he said to The Guardian: "I didn’t make a single phone call to any team. Fred took it into his hands and said: "This is just so unfair. From Guenther Steiner [the former Haas team principal] to James Vowles [the head of Williams], everybody jumped on to this. They were all ready, but for Christian, to sign a document in our support.
"As far as I understand it he (Horner) said: "I’m having my own Sky interview and I’m going to say I’m not part of it. I’m not signing the document." The other nine teams said: "Fine." But obviously he was advised that wouldn’t look great and he should be part of the statement.
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"I don’t think you can rely on what he says. I think [Susie] was collateral damage and lots of it was out of disrespect for her achievements as a female racing driver and as a contributor to change."
Now, in an interview with the Daily Mail, Horner has snapped back at the Mercedes team boss.
He said: "Toto sent me a text message at the end of last year to say thank you for standing up for Susie today and showing them that there is a red line and the teams are together. And I said “no problem, I said what I believe”.
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"So why he needs to go and say all that s*** this week, I have no idea. I was a little surprised to see his comments because he thanked me for his support. I have not said one word. I have not risen to Zak’s bait. I have not risen to Toto’s bait. I’ve had him chasing our drivers. I have had them chasing our sponsors. I have just thought “let them get on with it"."
Horner then suggested that Wolff should be more worried about Mercedes' performances.
The Englishman added: "I think Toto has got more than enough of his own issues to be focussed on with his own team’s performance rather than worrying about me. Since 2021, Mercedes have had a horrible run. They have had three very uncompetitive years, by their own standards. Lewis has decided to leave the team. Perhaps he doesn’t believe in the future that was presented to him and probably needs that revitalised motivation that the challenge at Ferrari will offer him and it will be fascinating and great for Formula One to see him do that.
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"But I try never to take satisfaction out of other people’s misfortune. This sport is cyclical. After 2013, we did not have a competitive engine but every year we were winning races and we were still punching above our weight, bar one year in 2015. When you are not delivering a team, the less you say, the more you focus on sorting your own issues out, is usually a better way of going about things."
Topics: Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Formula 1
Marcus Chan