Christian Horner or Toto Wolff? Fans pick one clear winner as best team boss

Oliver Harden
Mercedes and Red Bull team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff and Christian Horner pose for a very rare photo together at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Christian Horner was the clear favourite over Toto Wolff when we asked F1 fans whom they would want in charge of their F1 team.

Horner’s Red Bull team produced the most dominant season in F1 history in 2023, winning all but one of the 22 races across the campaign as Max Verstappen eased to a third consecutive World Championship.

Red Bull secured a second successive Constructors’ title and the team’s sixth in total, having won four in a row with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013.

Christian Horner the most popular choice

Wolff’s Mercedes outfit, meanwhile, suffered their first winless campaign since 2011 as the team continued to struggle under F1’s ground effect regulations.

On Track GP, the YouTube channel launched in collaboration between PlanetF1.com and DR Sports in 2023, asked fans whether Horner or Wolff would be the better person to run their F1 team – with Horner emerging as the clear winner. The video can be watched in full at the bottom of this article.

One fan picked Horner as he then could have the power to persuade technical genius Adrian Newey to follow him, commenting: “I would personally go for Christian Horner.

“He’s been obviously in the sport for quite a long time, but also has been a good manager [in terms of] getting the right driver in at the right time, as well as having Adrian Newey there as well. It’s a massive bonus for the team.”

Another interestingly said that Wolff would have been a more attractive offer if three-time World Champion and Mercedes non-executive director Niki Lauda was still with us.

He said: “You know what? Maybe Horner. I think he’s had a good background over time.

“I’d pick a Lauda-Toto partnership if he was still around, but I’d go with Horner now. He’s been strong, he’s really backed his team [so] I’ll go with that.”

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Another F1 enthusiast confessed her admiration for Wolff, but said Horner would be better equipped to build a winning force.

And she tipped other fans to keep an eye on two F1 2023 newcomers, McLaren boss Andrea Stella and Williams team principal James Vowles, as other big names of the future.

She said: “I love Toto – actually love him – but I think I would go for Christian Horner because I think he’s very dedicated to his team right now.

“He’s been there for so long and I think, especially with their drivers, he supports them and he’s got their back.

“I think that nurturing environment would be good for him. I say that even though Red Bull can be a bit cut throat, but I’d go for Christian Horner. But I do love Toto as well.

“There’s a lot of promise in Andrea Stella as well. Seeing what it could be like in a couple of years, maybe him.

“I’m a massive lover of James Vowles. He’s probably been the most supportive team principal that I’ve seen so far, because Logan Sargeant’s got a lot of stick recently but he’s there for him. I’m part of his little fan club now, I love him.”

Meanwhile, a Ferrari fan insisted he is perfectly happy with current incumbent Fred Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto at Maranello in late 2022 and led Ferrari to victory with Carlos Sainz at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix – the only 2023 race not to be won by Red Bull.

He said: “I think I’d probably keep the current one.

“I think he’s holding things together quite well, he just needs to overhaul the rest of the team like the strategy department and things like that.

“[Horner] is well-suited for Red Bull, he’s a perfect choice. I think Fred Vasseur is the ideal choice for just calming Ferrari down, adapting to what’s going on at the minute and keeping things nice and chill.

“I think that’s what Ferrari struggles with, keeping cool under pressure.”

On Track GP is a YouTube channel launched in collaboration between PlanetF1.com and DR Sports. You can watch the full episode below.

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