When Christian Horner claimed to have stolen 220 employees from Mercedes in order to divert attention away from rumors of a Red Bull exodus, Toto Wolff asked his rival to provide proof of his employment.
Toto Wolff has denied Christian Horner’s allegation that Red Bull has stolen hundreds of his employees.
At the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, Horner asserted the claim. Adrian Newey’s announcement of his departure prompted remarks from McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Mercedes CEO Nicola Wolff regarding the possibility of a Red Bull employee exodus.
In response, the head of Red Bull bragged about how many engineers he had signed from Mercedes’ engine division. “I think it’s inevitable,” he declared. You are aware that the two contenders are frequent talkers. I wouldn’t get sucked into a tit-for-tat, but I would rather concentrate on Toto’s personal problems.
“I’m not worried about the strength in depth. Naturally, there will always be interchanges between teams. I’m not sure how many people we’ve hired from McLaren or how many people VCARB has hired this year.
“We’ve moved 220 employees from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains [HPH] to Red Bull Powertrains, Mercedes. Therefore, I would be more concerned about the 220 than one or two CVs when we talk about losing people.”
At Imola, Wolff was asked whether he had an answer for his rival’s assertion. His initial response was to challenge Horner’s figure, stating: “You need to do some math—19 engineers.”
“And so, you know, regardless of those figures, I believe there is a normal fluctuation between teams that come and go.
“With top leadership, we have an engine department that is at the top of its game. In terms of organizational structure and the people I get to work with there, HPP is a flawless organization. There isn’t a single thing about it that should be different.”
Red Bull has recruited a large number of players from teams all around the grid since they created their own engine division from the ground up. However, Mercedes continues to have a substantial advantage in terms of experience, and Wolff is certain that the Silver Arrows remain the best in the industry when it comes to power unit development.
“[HPP] have delivered for a long time; since 2014, we have been the benchmark, and that hasn’t changed, maybe with another engine,” he stated. I am eagerly awaiting 2026 to witness the power unit’s various performance levels.”
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