Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are two great rivals in Formula 1 history. Rivalries among drivers are famous, but very few team principals can share a rivalry that Wolff and Horner do. Red Bull dominated the grid from 2010 to 2014 and is currently enjoying their hegemony again from the last year. They also won the driver’s championship in 2021. In the two eras, the drivers to win for Red Bull have changed from Sebastian Vettel to Max Verstappen. But the man who remained constant is the team principal Christian Horner.
However, the team that broke Red Bull’s streak in 2014 was Mercedes. The German team, with Toto Wolff as the team principal, enjoyed a successful journey from 2014 to 2021. Even though they lost the driver’s title in 2021, they won the constructor title. Hence, the two team bosses are highly successful. But Toto Wolff is still a little bit more than Christian Horner. Although, if Red Bull can stretch their winning streak to the next year as well, then Horner would get more success than Wolff. That is why the two team principals are always competing against each other on and off the race track. They never leave an opportunity to poke and poke back at each other. In a similar fashion, Horner and Wolff recently argued about the track limit violations in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Horner And Wolff Present Different Opinions On The Track Limits
Christian Horner and Toto Wolff spoke to Sky Sports after the race at the Austria GP was over. The Red Bull boss believes that the track limits look too tough for the drivers. Horner even suggested that the stewards must look into that, as these rules make the sport look a bit amateurish. He feels that a little bit of gravel or the kerbs can help in tidying those track limits up. On the other hand, Toto Wolff commented against what Horner said. As the Mercedes boss told Sky Sports, “No, I think the stewards are just doing their job. It is exactly what the rule says. I think the drivers should not complain if they break their car.” He also mentioned that it is clear. Otherwise, everybody would go where they want as they sometimes do in some races in the USA.
However, in the Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton suffered due to these track limit violations. He also got a ten seconds penalty and hence dropped to P8. On the other hand, Red Bull has been one of the lucky teams who suffered no penalty in that race at the Red Bull Ring. Max Verstappen, as usual, won again, and Sergio Perez finished at P3. Hence, another double podium for Red Bull. Moreover, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished at P2. The three podium finishers in Austria did not get any penalty. But eight other drivers suffered because of track limit penalties. Hence, the arguments of the Mercedes boss and the Red Bull boss are a little bit confusing.
Christian Horner Calls Toto Wolff ‘Selfish’
In another case, the two bosses were at loggerheads with each other again. Christian Horner also commented on the 2026 F1 rules while discussing the race results in the post-race interview. As he stated, “The idea of electrical power is not a good one because it can increase weight up to 30 kilos. It is essential to look into the ratio between electrical power and combustion power.“
However, in reply to that, Toto Wolff asserted that his dear friend Horner is worried about his partnership with Ford. According to the Mercedes boss, “If it (Red Bull-Ford Relationship) does not come along, that’s the reason why he pleads to look into the rules.” Naturally, the reply did not sit well with the arch-rival, and in response, Horner called Wolff ‘selfish.’ The Red Bull boss says that this counterpart thinks only about himself and his team while he is “thinking about every driver and every team.”
