Horner lashes out at Wolff: 'That behaviour causes people to tighten up'

The 2021 title fight between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes continues to be widely discussed. The two teams not only clashed on track, but also off track, tempers ran high between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. The Red Bull team boss believes that Wolff has not managed his team in a healthy way.

It is important for teams not to let their passion get out of hand in exciting battles for the title. In the podcast Diary of a CEO Horner talks about how he finds a balance. "The Brits are quite good at that, keeping a stiff upper lip, head down and get on with it. For me, last year's world championship was very much about that."

Mercedes came under real pressure in the title race in 2021 for the first time in eight years. One moment that has stayed with Horner is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where Wolff smashed his headphones. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided when the Dutchman suddenly hit his brakes hard.

"You see people's true personalities and what they've really got when they're under pressure. When you see your counterpart smashing up headphones and pointing and ranting, you know you've got to them. If they're venting in such a way, and they're feeling that pressure, then the people beneath them are going to be offloaded onto, they are going to be on the receiving end of that. That, in my opinion and experience, causes people to tighten up", continues the Briton.

Horner: 'Not a healthy way to lead team'

Before the title final in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton and Verstappen started the race with an equal number of points, Horner told his team that they should above all enjoy the final race and just do their best. This way, Horner did not put unnecessary pressure on the team. In the end, Verstappen crossed the finish line victorious and took his first world title.

"In the end, it paid off. As a leader, how you conduct yourself permeates throughout a business. If you're feeling the tension and passing that on, then for me that's not a healthy way to lead a team by fear", says the Red Bull team boss.