Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are the most famous team principals of Formula One, as they are highly successful. With Red Bull, Horner dominated the grid from 2010 to 2013 and again has been enjoying the hegemony since 2021’s driver championship. On the other hand, Toto Wolff is the most successful team boss in F1 history. With Mercedes, Wolff won eight consecutive constructor titles and seven driver’s championships from 2014 to 2021.
But Mercedes has lost the grip on the title at present due to their car’s multiple issues. Moreover, the intense rivalry between the Mercedes and Red Bull bosses only keeps growing. The former is trying to close the gap between them and the latter team at the moment. However, the criticism that Red Bull gets every now and then is that they depend on other teams for their powertrains. On top of that, Christian Horner feels that his “dear friend” Toto Wolff will use the media to disrupt Red Bull’s road to glory this season. How so? Keep reading to find out.
Christian Horner And Toto Wolff Play Intense Games Of Vice Versa With Each Other
Recently, Christian Horner mentioned that Red Bull is going through a “Halcyon Period.” They have joined their rivals Mercedes, Ferrari, and Williams in the pool of 100 race wins when Max won in Canada this year. But Red Bull is also busy building their own powertrain division, which takes a lot of effort and an entirely new and big scope for the table toppers. He credits his team’s determination to succeed. Although Horner believes they are still the new kid on the block.
The Red Bull boss is also aware of the fact that his rivals want them to fall right on their face. That is why, every now and then, he draws attention to Mercedes’ boss’s tactics to disrupt their growth via media. As Horner mentioned, “The game of using media to put pressure on the other team is a game of vice versa.” Christian Horner told Sky Sports that he is a competitor and believes it is dishonest to be good friends with your competition. However, he mentioned that he has a lot of respect for Toto Wolff and what he has achieved. But Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are very different personalities.
Red Bull Focusing On Building Their Own Powertrains
In their 18 years in Formula One, Red Bull initially depended on Renault for a while. Later, they started their partnership with Honda. And evidently, it has been a pretty successful partnership as they regained their dominance on the grid. However, Red Bull started working on their own powertrain division since Honda announced to pull-out of F1. They first shared the plan back in 2021. But currently, they have plans to stick with Red Bull till 2025.
The Japanese team will supply engines to Aston Martin from 2026 as a new partnership. However, the Austrian team has won all the races so far in 2023, mainly due to the magnificent RB19. It is undoubtedly the fastest car on the grid, and with Max Verstappen, the combination is as lethal as it can get. Max Verstappen has won six races so far out of eight this year. Last season, the Dutchman won 15 races, which is a record in itself. Perhaps Max is looking to break his own record this year.