Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently made remarks about his all-time rival Red Bull boss Christian Horner. The Austrian believes that speaking about Horner is a “waste of time,” describing Horner as “obsessed”.
The 2021 season specifically saw Mercedes and Red Bull fight it out for the championship in one of the closest rivalries that the sport has ever witnessed. While Max Verstappen went on to win his first championship title that year, Mercedes maintained their streak of consecutive constructors’ championship wins, taking their number to eight. The following year, however, Red Bull dominated the grid and secured both the drivers’ as well as the constructors’ championship titles way before the season even ended. Mercedes, on the other hand, finished the season in third, behind Ferrari.
In an interview with The Times, while talking about Horner, Wolff said:
“I am living in his head rent-free. The guy is obsessed. Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”
In the interview, Toto Wolff also described his frustrations regarding the controversial last-lap call made at the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The decision eventually led to Max Verstappen taking the championship win from Lewis Hamilton on the very last lap of the season finale. The Austrian said:
“At the end of the race, an individual (Michael Masi, who has since been replaced) took decisions that were not reflected anywhere in the rule book and were so drastic that they made the outcome unbelievable. That is a moment when you fall out of love with the sport…the principle of fairness was breached. The FIA took the guy out of the job because it was a human error. But it’s done and dusted now. I still think about it a lot, but not with anger; it is just incomprehensible how it came about.”
However, he went on to describe what matters the most to him outside of F1, saying:
“I have great moments in F1. I love the team, I love the challenge. But what I really love is my family. I have three children who are 21, 18, and five years old. Having the family together is what gives me the greatest enjoyment. And with my wife [Susie Wolff] I have found the perfect partner. My wife can drive cars faster than I. But that is the least of her attributes. We are total soulmates.”
Toto Wolff has been married to former professional racing driver and Venturi Racing CEO Susie Wolff since 2011.
Mercedes boss willing to be replaced within the team
Toto Wolff recently admitted that if there comes a time when he feels he is unable to contribute his all, he will not “hesitate” before giving up his position as the team boss. The Austrian owns a 33% stake in Mercedes F1 and has asserted that he has Mercedes’ best interest in mind.
Speaking to Crash.net, Wolff said:
“I keep introspecting of how much I can contribute to the organization, and if one day I believe that there are shortcomings in an area, be it on the sporting, technical or commercial side or in politics, I would not hesitate for a second about appointing someone to that area of finding someone who could take over what I do.”
Under Wolff’s leadership, Mercedes have secured eight consecutive championship titles over the years.
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