Christian Horner opens up on 'pints with Toto Wolff'

Christian Horner

Christian Horner opens up on 'pints with Toto Wolff'

The Red Bull boss had some interesting thoughts about going for a drink with his rival

Chris Deeley

Tuesday 11 July 2023 07:42

Christian Horner has admitted that he doesn't see himself ever becoming friends with Toto Wolff, saying he's not a 'believer' in the idea of befriending his rivals.

The Red Bull supremo has been butting heads with his Mercedes counterpart once again this week, this time over 2026 engine regulations – with Wolff accusing Horner of running scared because his team's development is behind schedule.

Asked on talkSPORT whether he could see himself going for a pint with the intense Austrian, he laughed the idea off before explaining that he doesn't want to force a 'false' friendship.

"I’m not so sure Toto is the kind of person who goes to the pub," he said. "I have never been a believer in that. He’s trying hard to beat us, we’re trying to ensure that we stay ahead of him.

Horner: It's easy to wind Wolff up

"While there has to be respect, I don’t see some form of false friendship. For me, it is unrealistic. It’s part of sport, part of competition. And it’s incredibly easy to pull his chain!

"There has to be a competitive rivalry. It’s not a garden party. We are there to win, to compete, every member of the team knows that. The team that wants to beat us the most is the one up the road.

"It’s important that people feel that rivalry. It drives people on to perform better. We want to win."