“The feud was truly toxic” : Christian Horner deems clash with Toto Wolff as the worst he has experienced
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Christian Horner(on the left) and Toto Wolff(on the right)
“It’s just an inflated balloon with a microphone in front of its mouth and a camera in front of it,” said Toto Wolff last year in reference to Red Bull rival Christian Horner. Horner, with whom not impartial rags fluttered behind the scenes in the season of 2021, was strongly accosted by Toto Wolff a year ago.
If Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton did not spare themselves in their on-track battles, Red Bull and Mercedes did not spare themselves in their trying to score a basic struggle, one on a policy level.
This contributed heavily to characterizing a season that was ended under dispute in Abu Dhabi on the final lap after a fiercely fought Mercedes restart, a process that former FIA race director Michael Masi referred to as “freestyle” by Toto Wolff.
Christian Horner breaks down rivalry with Toto Wolff over the years in an interview
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner described his battle with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in 2021 as “toxic”- “We tried to keep calm and focus on ourselves, but on several occasions the storm has exceeded the level of warning. I competed against Ross Brawn, Flavio Briatore, Stefano Domenicali, Ron Dennis and I have never reached such bitterness as the one with Toto Wolff. The feud was truly toxic, the worst I’ve ever experienced in 17 years of F1.”
In 2021, Red Bull surprised Mercedes, which helped to squeeze a spoke in the wheel by motivating a technological regulation that required the Milton Keynes team and others to strengthen their back wings. The technical requirement for the wings was really the beginning; pit stops were also addressed, which are crucial and have traditionally been very quick at Red Bull.
Michael Masi lost his position as a result of the relaunch administration in Abu Dhabi, and Horner has expressed compassion and support with him: “Experience cannot be bought and we lack the experience of Masi at this moment. He found himself having a huge weight on his shoulders, if he hadn’t been left alone he could have handled the situation better.”
Also Read: Christian Horner alleges Mercedes of “bitching” over porpoising health troubles
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Rishika Saha
(445 Articles Published)