What Christian Horner wrote in text to Toto Wolff after Red Bull axe
Toto Wolff and Christian Horner: F1's happy couple
Christian Horner joked in a text message to Toto Wolff that the Mercedes boss will be lost without him after his sacking by Red Bull after the British Grand Prix, it has emerged.
And the Mercedes team boss has admitted that it is “quite strange” that Horner is no longer a presence in the F1 paddock.
Toto Wolff doubles down on Christian Horner ‘a**hole’ comment
Horner was sacked by Red Bull after more than 20 years in charge following July’s British Grand Prix, with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies installed as his replacement as chief executive and team principal.
The 51-year-old stands as one of the most successful team bosses in history having led Red Bull to six Constructors’ titles and eight Drivers’ championships – split evenly between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – since his appointment in 2005.
Horner and Wolff were embroiled in a bitter rivalry during the 2021 season as their respective drivers, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, battled for the title.
Analysis: Dutch Grand Prix
👉 Dutch GP driver ratings: Hamilton clanger, Hadjar’s heroics, Piastri domination
That year ended with Verstappen claiming the first of four consecutive world championships at the infamous title decider in Abu Dhabi.
Wolff has revealed that Horner sent him a text quipping that the Mercedes boss will be lost without him following the exit of his main adversary.
And he admitted that the former Red Bull boss has been a “great enemy” to him since he joined Mercedes in 2013.
According to Motorsport.com, Wolff said: “He said to me: ‘What are you doing now, because you love to hate me and I’m gone!’
“It’s a bit ambivalent because, A) his track record is very good – one of the most successful in Formula 1, so clearly there are things he’s done well.
“Within the team I think he was, to a certain degree, respected in Milton Keynes.
“But then we didn’t often have the same opinion or perspective, so he’s been a wonderful, great enemy over the years.
“Am I missing him? It’s quite strange to come here and Christian’s not going to be around.
“What are you doing with him not around? That’s a bit weird.
“And then you have the pragmatism of Laurent Mekies. Suddenly, you can have a conversation about the long term.
“We’re just totally different people, but even your biggest enemy is your best friend.”
Horner’s return to the paddock is widely regarded as a matter of when, not if, with the ex-Red Bull boss expected to pursue a team-ownership-style role when he commits to an F1 comeback.
It is possible that Horner could take a role similar to that held by Wolff, who as well as acting as team boss and chief executive owns a third of the Mercedes team.
Horner has been linked over recent weeks with the Alpine team given the lingering uncertainty surrounding Renault’s F1 future.
However, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is known to have a close relationship with Horner, recently shut down the suggestion that he could link up with Horner to purchase Alpine.
More on Mercedes and Red Bull from PlanetF1.com
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com in the team principals’ press conference at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff quipped that it would be like “the mafia reunited” if Horner, Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore were to do business together.
Wolff, who branded Horner an “a**hole” in a final parting shot during the recent summer break, later clarified his comments, insisting that F1 needs “massive characters” like Horner.
He added: “What I said is that every movie needs the good, the bad and the ugly.
“Now the bad is gone, it’s only Fred [Vasseur] and I left… It took Fred a while to think about that.
“The sport needs that.
“In the past we had those massive characters and I hope that some of the new team principals are going to grow into these roles in an authentic way, because you can’t fake it.
“Christian was one of those protagonists. He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an a** and he loved to play that role.
“You need an a**hole. People need to hate someone.”
Read next: Rumoured Adrian Newey gut feeling emerges as pundit claims Aston Martin ‘won’t be ready’
