Christian Horner and Toto Wolff — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 Off The Track

Horner savages F1 rival Wolff with brutal headphones claim

Christian Horner says he and Toto Wolff could never be 'best mates'

Cal Gaunt

Thursday 11 January 2024 09:57

Christian Horner has delivered a cutting remark aimed at Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, asserting that he would never resort to 'smashing a pair of headphones up'.

The enduring rivalry between the two team bosses, marked by a war of words and occasional pettiness, has often overshadowed on-track events.

Despite acknowledging mutual respect, Horner couldn't resist taking a swipe at Wolff's tendency to express disagreements with his communication equipment in a flamboyant manner, as revealed during the Secrets of Success podcast.

Christian Horner says he would 'never' smash his headphones up as Toto Wolff has done in the past

Christian Horner says competitors cannot be 'best mates'

Horner: Sport is a mind game

“I have a huge amount of respect for everything that he's done and achieved, but we're competitors. I've never been a believer that you can be the best mate with your competitor. I think it's dishonest.

“I want everybody in my team to see that whoever we're racing against is the competition. That's who we're there to compete with.

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“Any sport is a mind game and when you see your counterpart losing it and smashing a set of headphones out you think ‘Okay, you're feeling the pressure’ and if he's feeling the pressure, everybody else around him is feeling the pressure because pressure permeates from the top.

“I would never smash a set of headphones up. You know, everybody's different. Internally I'd have felt and mentally I would have smashed those headphones just as hard as him, but I just wouldn't have done it physically, I think it's just everybody is different."

Mercedes Christian Horner Toto Wolff