Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. Image: Red Bull Content Pool

Toto Wolff reveals special message from 'a**hole' and 'enemy' Christian Horner

07:01, 31 Aug

Updated: 08:46, 31 Aug

byTim Kraaij

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff were for many years two of the protagonists in the movie that can sometimes Formula 1 be. Without Horner, Wolff loses his enemy and adversary. Although the Austrian gets along much better with successor Laurent Mekies, he misses his former rival.

Even before the spectacular 2021 season, Wolff and Horner frequently clashed, with both being good in front of a camera and don't shy from a remarkable quote about the other. For years, the two created fireworks. Then one would be angry and then the other. Now that rivalry has disappeared.

Instead of Horner, Wolff now has to deal with Laurent Mekies. A man who is much calmer than his predecessor and someone whom competitors now say they can have 'normal' talks with again. However, Wolff tells among others GPblog that he misses Horner too.

"He's a f***ing a**hole. Over the last 12 years, there's not many good moments that I can recall (laughs). Joking aside, we're just totally different people. I’ve always tried to be transparent. If I don't want to say something, I don't say it, but I don't tweak it. But, even your biggest enemy is a best friend."

"He was an a**, and he loved to play that role also."

- Toto Wolff

Who should Toto Wolff 'hate' now?

There was always some kind of tension, which can become addictive at one point.

"Yes. He said to me, ‘What are you doing now? Because you love to hate me and now I'm gone.’ So it's a bit ambivalent because his track record is very good. One of the most successful in Formula 1. So clearly there are things he has done well."

"I think he was respected to a certain degree within the team in Milton Keynes. But we didn't often have the same opinion or perspective. So he's been a wonderful, great enemy over the years. Do I miss him? It's quite strange to come here and Christian's not going to be around. I mean, what are you doing with him not around? So that's a bit weird."

"And then you have the pragmatism of Laurent Mekies, suddenly you can have a conversation about the long term. But he was one of the big personalities in the sport."

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horner wolff mercedes red bull china 2025

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff together on the grid in China

Toto Wolff thought Horner was an 'a**hole'

Is that what's missing in Formula 1 now? Does the sport need these types of characters?

"What I said is, every movie needs the good, the bad and the ugly. Now the bad is gone, it's only Fred and I left. It took Fred a while to rethink that [joke]."

"So 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. And Christian was one of those protagonists. He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an a**, and he loved to play that role also."

Will Netflix miss him?

"Yes. But you need an a**hole, people need to hate someone. So who is that going to be now? I'm losing the plot now, because it's only me left, last man standing, and then you [get] shot the next day, so you need to be careful.

What to read more from the interview with Toto Wolff. Then check out the stories published earlier on GPblog.com! For example, the Mercedes team principal also talked about a future collaboration with Max Verstappen and Wolff also laughed about a p*rn movie with his face.