Horner hits back at Wolff, embraces ‘yapping terrier’ label

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has brushed off Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s sharp criticism in the wake of a public feud between Max Verstappen and George Russell, turning the spotlight back on the intense dynamics of a long and grueling Formula 1 season.

The drama began at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, where Verstappen accused Russell of exaggerating his complaints to try to land the Dutchman a penalty for impeding him during qualifying.

The tension escalated when Russell labeled Verstappen a "bully," prompting Verstappen to fire back, calling Russell a "liar" and a "backstabber”.

As the feud spilled over into the Abu Dhabi paddock, Wolff and Horner, longtime rivals in the team principal arena, inevitably joined the fray.

Wolff took issue with Horner’s comment earlier in the week calling Russell "hysterical," labeling his Red Bull counterpart a “yapping little terrier” and suggesting he was out of line for commenting on the Mercedes driver’s mindset.

• Read also: Wolff brands Horner ‘yapping little terrier’ as tensions boil over

Horner, however, shrugged off Wolff’s remarks with a mix of humor and defiance, turning the comparison to terriers into a point of pride.

“Well look, I love terriers. I think they're great dogs,” Horner said with a grin. “And I've had four of them. Had a couple of Airedales, which is the king of the terriers. I had a couple of West Highland terriers called Bernie and Flavio. And the good thing about a terrier is it's tremendously loyal.

“To be called a terrier. Is that such a bad thing? They're not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs. I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf, maybe.”

The Red Bull boss dismissed the heightened tension as a symptom of a tired paddock nearing the finish line of an exhausting 24-race season.

“Obviously, a lot has been made of it yesterday. It's pantomime season, we're getting ready for Christmas. So there's maybe an element of end-of-term blues there, but I don't think it'll have any effect on the grand prix itself,” he said.

Horner also clarified his earlier comments about Russell’s behavior, noting that his use of the term “hysterical” was not aimed at the Briton’s mindset but at his radio outburst during the Qatar Grand Prix, where he lambasted his team for fitting his car with hard tyres instead of the mediums he had requested.

“I wasn't talking about the psychology of his driver, and when I was referring to hysterics, I was more referring to the roasting that he gave his team when they fitted a set of hards onto the car, when he'd asked for a set of mediums and expressed his displeasure,” Horner explained.

In the race, the expletive-laden radio message from Russell included a blunt question: "Why have we put the f***ing hards back on? They’re shit!"

The decision, as Mercedes later admitted, was the wrong call, with used mediums proving to be the better option.

“I’d get fined if I were to repeat the language that was used in this press conference,” Horner quipped, adding, “Obviously, a lot has been said. We know Toto likes to talk a lot, but that's the way it is.”

Horner shifted focus to wrapping up the season on a positive note, emphasizing his desire to see teams like McLaren and Ferrari fight it out for points in Sunday’s finale.

“We just want to finish the season on a high, have a great race, see [McLaren and Ferrari] battle it out, and hopefully everybody then can have a well-earned break after this race,” he said.

As the curtain falls on an eventful season, the latest war of words between Horner and Wolff has become a fitting encapsulation of the rivalries that define Formula 1, on and off the track.

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