15/08/2022
NEWS STORY
As if we didn't know it already, Christian Horner admits to getting great satisfaction from winding up Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff.
Though nowhere near as toxic as some of the personality clashes F1 has witnessed over the years - who can ever forget that epic press conference in 2003 involving Paul Stoddart, Ron Dennis and a sheepish Eddie Jordan - Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have had their moments.
Though never Wolff's biggest fan, the vitriol Horner aimed at Renault in their final years together (and beyond) meant the Austrian escaped somewhat lightly, however over the last couple of years as the pressure mounted and the stakes increased so both men have ramped up the barbs.
"It's not personal in any way," Horner tells Sky Sports. "Toto is Toto. He's done a phenomenal job with Mercedes.
"He's obviously come into the sport from a very different background to me," he adds, "he's very much from a financial background. And it is very easy to pull his chain, and you can see it.
"Sometimes it affects him," The Red Bull boss continues. "So of course when you're competing, and last year was so intense and of course it was the first time he'd ever been in that situation, it's always interesting to see how people react. When they're smashing headphones, you can see that you got to them."
Asked if he believes he is a better team boss than his rival, Horner responds: "That's not for me to judge. I'm focused on what I'm doing.
"You guys are the judge and jury. I'm focused on what I'm doing and he's focused on what he's doing."
Of course, talking of "judge and jury", Horner is forever the topic of 'conversation' on social media, and it is rarely flattering.
"If it bothers you, you shouldn't do the job," says Horner. "My job is to do the best I can for the team and the people I represent.
"If I look at somebody like a Sir Alex Ferguson, I doubt he ever worried about what perception other managers or people thought about him in the sport.
"My priority and my prerogative is to do the best I can for the people I represent," he concludes. "Whether it's with the promoter, the FIA, whether that's getting the right shareholders or sponsors, with the media, it's doing the best that we can with the tools that we have."