Wolff bemused by Horner's "pantomime dame" remark
Wolff bemused by Horner's "pantomime dame" remark
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".
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."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
- 12 minutes ago
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
- 1 hour ago
Horner admits Red Bull at MAJOR disadvantage with new rules
- 2 hours ago
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
- 3 hours ago
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
- Today 18:57
EXCLUSIVE: World champion reveals 'logical' winning F1 Hamilton combination
- Today 17:57
Related news
Hamilton car camera captures Verstappen's TRUE feelings toward F1 rival
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
Fierce Hamilton F1 rival raises timing issue for Ferrari move
Wolff admits CHANGE of plan over Hamilton F1 replacement
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860