Christian Horner lit the spark on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend by claiming Lewis Hamilton had contacted Red Bull over a potential switch from Mercedes
Toto Wolff told rival Christian Horner to be “humble” as he accused the Red Bull chief of making up the claim that Lewis Hamilton contacted his team over a potential switch.
Horner claimed this week that the seven-time world champion had reached out to Red Bull and Ferrari prior to penning a contract extension with Mercedes. But Hamilton denied that a day later and said Horner was just “stirring things”.
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, team principal Wolff stood by his driver and told reporters that he had seen their messages. “I simply don’t understand the guy’s motivations,” he remarked of his Red Bull colleague.
“His way of thinking to generate these ideas is beyond us. Christian requested his contact information so that we could discuss the seat through an organization we collaborate with.
“That’s how everything happened; Christian asked about his availability. Lewis immediately told me about an exchange he had with Christian. It had nothing to do with a seat; rather, it was just… blah. I’ve witnessed it.
Thus, I’m not sure what motivated him to make this public. The season is yours. Be humble and content with it. Have fun with it. Please refrain from making remarks about Abu Dhabi 2021 that are wholly inappropriate. I’m just curious as to what’s happening up there.
Since his contract with Red Bull expires in 2024, Sergio Perez’s future there has come under scrutiny recently. Thus, if Red Bull were to change, Hamilton would team up with Max Verstappen, his rival for the 2021 championship.
When questioned about the situation, the Dutchman refused to speculate. “What would it add to know?” he asked. Since I was unaware, it isn’t taking place. You understand that fabricating tales if they aren’t true is pointless. It wouldn’t bother me. It doesn’t really matter which driver.”
Since they have been rivals for a long time, Wolff and Horner have rarely passed up the chance to criticize one another in public. Wolff continued by saying that he does not enjoy their relationship, but he made a suggestion that he deliberately views Horner as a “enemy” in order to keep himself motivated.
“Not rivalry – I believe in enemy building and in looking at people that inspire you, irritate you, that you want to beat,” the Austrian continued. I urge all employees to identify that person within the other teams. Go through LinkedIn for a while. Look who it is. On my laptop, there are two windows that are always open.”
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