Wolff "regret" over "very personal" war of words with Horner

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded to deeply regretting his war of words with Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner during last year's explosive F1 season.

Wolff and Horner often threw barbs at one another as the rivalry on track between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen was matched off it by Wolff and Horner.

At one stage during the flexi-wing debate in early June ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Horner urged Wolff to "keep his mouth shut". The Austrian's retort was to describe the Englishman as "a bit of a windbag who wants to be on camera".

Their exchanges continued throughout the campaign before culminating in a civil handshake ahead of the title-deciding showdown in Abu Dhabi.

On reflection, Wolff now knows he should have maintained his composure.

“I really regret it,” said Wolff in an interview with Dutch magazine Formule 1. [Note: the interview was conducted across the Dutch GP weekend but has only just been published].

“I always try to stay professional, approach things professionally. However, it got very personal between the two of us at some point.

"At one point he told me to shut up. Then I responded by saying he was a windbag and talked too much for the cameras.

"I shouldn't have said that because it's a professional relationship and you know that even your worst enemy has a best friend.

“You have to respect that person, even if you fight a hard duel."

Wolff claims it was his wife Susie who urged him to try to remain courteous and act with dignity.

“She asked 'Why are you having these kinds of discussions? You're trying to win, respect that," added Wolff.

"Even if someone goes in that direction, you don't have to."

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