Christian Horner has revealed just how much he enjoys rattling Toto Wolff as the two F1 bosses continue to trade verbal digs.
The friction between the pair has been apparent for some considerable time now, but things regularly reached boiling point in 2021 as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled for the F1 world title. And the way the season concluded in Abu Dhabi did little to simmer relations.
In the aftermath of the controversial finish, where race director Michael Masi altered safety car instructions which led to Verstappen winning the title, Horner sought out the Austrian in an attempt to shake his hand. However, Wolff was in the midst of launching an ultimately unsuccessful protest into what had transpired.
The struggles of Mercedes in 2022 have meant things haven't been as explosive between the pair in this campaign, with Verstappen - and Red Bull - comfortably ahead in both the drivers' and constructors' standings. However, the two have been at loggerheads over proposals to alter F1 regulations and address the issue of porpoising.
But Horner insists the disagreements do not stem from personal animosity: "It’s not personal in any way," the Englishman, who has been in his role since 2005], told Sky Sports .
“Toto is Toto. He’s done a phenomenal job with Mercedes. He’s obviously come into the sport from a very different background to me, he’s very much from a financial background.
“And it’s very easy to pull his chain, and you can see it. Sometimes it affects him. So of course, when you’re competing, and last year was so intense and of course it was the first time he’d ever been in that situation, it’s always interesting to see how people react."
Indeed, Wolff's facial expressions became a feature of the intense title battle last year, and Horner added: “And when they’re [Wolff] smashing headphones and so on, you can see that you got to them.”
Prior to 2021, the Silver Arrows had dominated the F1 landscape for seven seasons, with six of those championships being won by Hamilton. The only exception came in 2016 when Nico Rosberg edged his teammate to the title.
But the momentum is now clearly with Horner and co, and whilst fan perception of the 48-year-old remains divided, he claims he's not bothered by outside perception. In fact, he's even compared himself with Sir Alex Ferguson in terms of dealing with flak.
“If it bothers you, you shouldn’t do the job,” Horner replied, when asked if he was bothered by criticism. "My job is to do the best I can for the team and the people I represent.
"If I look at someone like Sir Alex Ferguson, I doubt he ever worried about what perception other managers or people thought about him in the sport."
