Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has responded to a jibe from rival Toto Wolff. The Mercedes chief compared him to a ‘yapping terrier’ this week, following Horner’s involvement in the dispute between George Russell and Max Verstappen. Horner dismissed his competitor’s remarks and reiterated his support for the Dutch champion.
During the FIA press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, Horner was asked about Wolff’s comment, who compared him to a terrier on Thursday. “I love terriers,” Horner responded wittily. “They’re great dogs. I’ve had four, two of which were named Bernie and Flavio.” A fun nod to Bernie Ecclestone, former boss of Formula 1, and Flavio Briatore, the ex-team boss of Renault and now an advisor at Alpine.
Terriers are incredibly loyal and dare to stand up to much larger dogs,” Horner added with a wink. “Better that than a wolf, right?” The Red Bull team boss then indicated that he was not worried about the tensions between George Russell and Max Verstappen. Earlier this week, the verbal battle between the two drivers escalated. They completely tore each other apart in the media. “Max is straightforward and always honest,” Horner explained. “He expressed his frustration about how things went in Qatar, but he always turns such things into motivation.”
Race Will Not Suffer
Horner does not expect any problems during the upcoming race in Abu Dhabi. “Everyone feels that the end of the season is approaching, but our performance will not suffer,” he assured. Finally, he once again addressed Toto Wolff and Mercedes. He urged his competitor to focus on his own team. “They should be celebrating the last race with Lewis Hamilton instead of being busy with other matters,” he said. “I think Toto has a kind of love-hate relationship with me. Maybe he just likes to hate me.”
Horner did not want to further comment on Wolff’s remarks. “Everyone should focus on their own team,” he emphasized. “Red Bull has now won 122 races and 14 world championships. So, I assume we’re doing something right.”
