Toto Wolff bemused by Christian Horner's "pantomime dame" remark

Toto Wolff and Christian Horner in conversation in Bahrain — Photo: © LAT Images

Mercedes - Red Bull

Wolff bemused by Horner's "pantomime dame" remark

The duo have been verbal sparring this week

Ian Parkes

Saturday 6 November 2021 20:20

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been left bemused by Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner's latest remark in their latest period of verbal jousting.

The duo have become renowned, particularly this season, for taking jibes at one another off-track as the battle between the two teams has intensified on it.

In the build-up to this week's Mexico City Grand Prix, Wolff labelled Horner a "protagonist in a pantomime".

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That prompted Horner to declare himself "quite flattered" at being a protagonist as it meant there needed to be "an antagonist", and "perhaps Toto fills that role pretty well".

Horner then added: "If it were a pantomime, maybe a pantomime dame role might suit him".

Asked for a response, a surprised Wolff said: “I don’t even know what that means to be honest!"

Defending his original comments, Wolff added: "I just said he is like an actor. He very much likes to see himself out there and he enjoys the battle in the same way I enjoy it.

“We are very different people. I am more trying to concentrate on what is important without thinking too much about how I want to be perceived by the outside world and maybe that makes us different.

"But I very much respect his work as a team manager and he is adding to the show.”

Wolff "hated every second" of team orders game

After Sergio Perez finished fastest in final practice, it has again raised the possibility of Red Bull potentially needing team orders in Sunday's race should the Mexican be leading with team-mate Max Verstappen running second.

With the titles the bigger picture than a Perez win on home soil, Horner may yet be faced with the same kind of horrendous decision forced upon Wolff three years ago in the Russian GP.

On that occasion, Wolff ordered Valtteri Bottas to give up the win to favour Lewis Hamilton's title push at that stage of a campaign when he was battling Sebastian Vettel - then with Ferrari - for the title.

Asked how he would handle it this season, Wolff replied: “Nobody wants to take such an awful decision of playing the team orders when a driver can win the race, and we haven’t been in the situation yet [this year].

“We have been there in Sochi and I hated every minute, every second of that decision so I need to make up my mind how we play that on Sunday."