Wolff suggests Horner is 'a little actor in a Hollywood pantomime'

Toto Wolff has declared himself 'amused' by any disparaging remarks from Christian Horner who he feels becomes 'a little actor in a Hollywood pantomime' when faced with a microphone or TV camera.

There has never been any love lost between the Mercedes team principal and his Red Bull counterpart, notably this season as they have often turned on one another in the heat of battle for the F1 drivers' and constructors' championships.

Most recently, Horner suggested Wolff was facing "a different type of pressure" as for the first time in the hybrid era a rival team is taking Mercedes to the wire in the race for both titles.

Wolff, though, has categorically dismissed Horner's words. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "What Christian says about me feeling pressure - no, not at all.

"I feel he is one of the protagonists in a pantomime, part of the Formula One cast, and for me as a stakeholder, as a team owner, it's great that he creates these kinds of stories.

"But it's irrelevant. People have a microphone in front of them or a camera on them and they start to behave like little actors, like Hollywood.

"It's very good they fill the blanks and make it a pantomime. That's good for the sport and good for Netflix because they want to portray the people, not just the stopwatch.

"People have realised they are being quoted if they say controversial things. It gives them media time, it gets their picture in the newspapers."

Wolff has described the situation as akin to the days under former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone who cleverly stirred up interest with a controversial comment.

"In many ways, we are going back to our roots because what Bernie created back in the day was racing and soap," added Wolff.

"And when there was not enough racing he made soap, he was always good for a headline. So we're back there.

"But I don't get drawn into it. I find it amusing, but it doesn't touch me.

"Look, I've had so many hard years in my life that this - fighting for a Formula 1 championship - is not on the scale."