The rivalry between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner reached its peak at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix four years ago, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen heading into the final race level on points.
Verstappen’s title win at Yas Marina is well-documented, and Wolff was left frustrated by how Red Bull handled their celebrations after the result.
Wolff felt Horner should have acknowledged the controversy of Hamilton’s loss, especially given how late in the race everything changed.
“I would’ve liked more empathy,” said Wolff. “But you can’t expect it from anyone. For them, they won a world championship. It was overshadowed by their behaviour. But that probably shows who they are.”
Toto Wolff says Christian Horner’s ‘entitled’ attitude ‘bit him in the end’
Speaking to The Telegraph, Wolff was clear that Verstappen and Red Bull were worthy champions that year. Verstappen had lost points to incidents outside of his control, including a tyre failure in Azerbaijan.
But Wolff said he doesn’t think Horner would have been gracious had the result gone the other way, expecting Red Bull would have responded with “insults.”
He even suggested that “entitlement” is part of what cost Horner his job last July.
“He was never able to admit [that what happened in Abu Dhabi was wrong],” Wolff said.
“I try to look at it from the other side – and from their point of view, they deserved to be world champions, they had had some incidents that were unfair to them throughout the season, and the outcome of that race is a fair representation of the performance levels during the season.
“But Christian was never able to admit the same – that if it was the other way round and had happened to them that day, it would have been catastrophic, and he would have come up with all kinds of insults.
“And I think that the ability to be introspective or be able to see the other side with some compassion is a total gap in his personality.
“It’s the sense of entitlement he has. And that bit him in the end because he felt entitled to all the power, and Red Bull didn’t want to give him that power.”
The new setup has seen Laurent Mekies step into a smaller role than Horner once held under a restructured leadership team.
Toto Wolff: Formula 1 is better with Christian Horner in it
Despite holding off the competition to win the 2024 title, Verstappen felt Red Bull had lost their way during Horner’s final year and a half in charge. He believes that decline led shareholders to take action.
Still, Verstappen has said F1 has felt flatter without Horner. The former team boss was known for his regular clashes with both Wolff and McLaren’s Zak Brown.
Wolff agrees the sport needs a figure like Horner, whose direct approach filled an important role.
“Christian was one of those protagonists,” he said in a press conference back in August. “He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an a–, and he loved to play that role.
“You need an a——, people need to hate someone.”
Though he hasn’t yet found the right investment opportunity on the current grid, there is talk he could even form his own team.
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