Horner brands Wolff a ‘control freak’ in latest spat

Jamie Woodhouse
Toto Wolff, Mercedes with Christian Horner, Red Bull

toto-wolff-christian-horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Mercedes principal Toto Wolff is a “control freak”, but Red Bull can not be controlled.

While both Mercedes and Red Bull have been battling away on the track, with the latter holding an advantage in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, the rivalry has continued through a war of words between Horner and Wolff.

The latest episode of this running drama came at the British Grand Prix, where Horner described his frenemy as a “control freak”.

But Red Bull are not an entity which Wolff can control Horner assured, while he also feels that Wolff dislikes the fact that Horner has no “conflicts of interest” with him and so can say what he wants.

“It’s a competitive business, and Toto’s a little bit of a control freak, as we can see,” Horner told reporters at Silverstone.

“And the one thing he can’t control is Red Bull. I’m probably the only one to have no conflicts of interests with Toto. I can speak my mind and tell him what I think. He maybe finds that slightly uncomfortable.”

Christian Horner Toto Wolff
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Reminded of earlier in the season when Wolff called Horner a “windbag“, Horner responded: “Coming from the chap who is in front of the camera more than anybody else, I thought that was quite amusing.

“I’m sure Toto will try to throw shade wherever he can. But sometimes, when you point the finger, there are three pointing back at you.

“It’s a dynamic that Toto has probably never experienced before, because when he joined the team, it was already established. It had signed [Lewis] Hamilton. By 2014, the engine was in place. The foundations were all there. This is the first time for many in that team that they have actually been in this position.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen takes a 32-point lead over Hamilton into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, while the Austrian outfit top the Constructors’ standings with a 44-point buffer over Mercedes.

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