Friendship with Horner not in the cards for Wolff: 'Last handshake in '21''

Best friends they will never be. Yet an apparently amicable photo appeared after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix showing Mercedes and Red Bull Racing team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. However, that was more of a fluke than anything else, Wolff stressed.

Wolff: 'Last handshake with Horner was in 2021'

After the first Grand Prix of 2023, Wolff predicted that Red Bull would win all Formula 1 races this year. "Thank God I was wrong, at least they did not perform in Singapore," said the Mercedes boss in conversation with OE24. "But in the end, the other drivers couldn't even come close, let alone win. They were in their own galaxy, and all logical arguments point to them being very strong again in 2024."

Wolff commented about the friendly photo with Horner that surfaced recently. "That was on the way out of the paddock. There was a nice group around Mark Mateschitz, his mother and a few people I know well. I joined them and had a nice chat with Geri (Halliwell, Horner's wife) and that's how the photo came about," he explained.

A close friendship will most probably never come about. "Friends? The last handshake was maybe in 2021, before the last race," Wolff stressed. "But you have to acknowledge your competitor's achievements. I respect what the Red Bull team has achieved."