Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed a mixture of respect, bemusement, and even a touch of nostalgia about life in the Formula 1 paddock without Christian Horner, his longtime Red Bull adversary.
Horner’s sudden exit after the British Grand Prix marked the end of a two-decade tenure, and for Wolff, it has left the paddock feeling strangely subdued.
The Briton’s departure followed a turbulent period, closing a chapter on a rivalry with Wolff that reached its peak during the intense 2021 title fight between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Their off-track clashes, filled with sharp exchanges and strategic maneuvering, became as gripping as the on-track battles.
Wolff, speaking to reporters on Friday at Zandvoort, admitted the dynamic has shifted without his former nemesis presence. The Austrian also divulged that Horner had actually sent him a text message in the wake of his firing by Red Bull.
“He said to me: 'What are you doing now, because you love to hate me and I'm gone!’,” Wolff revealed.
“It's a bit ambivalent because, A, his track record is very good - one of the most successful in Formula 1. So, clearly there are things he's done well. Within the team, I think he was to a certain degree, respected in Milton Keynes.
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"But then we didn't often have the same opinion or perspective. So, he's been a wonderful, great enemy over the years.
“Am I missing him? It's quite strange to come here and Christian's not going to be around. I mean, what are you doing with him not around? That's a bit weird.
"And then you have the pragmatism of Laurent Mekies. Suddenly you can have a conversation about the long term. We're just totally different people, but even your biggest enemy is your best friend."
Wolff stressed that figures like Horner play a vital role in keeping the sport entertaining and full of drama.
"What I said is that every movie needs the good, the bad and the ugly. Now the bad is gone, it's only Fred [Vasseur at Ferrari] and I left... It took Fred a while to think about that," Wolff deadpanned.
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"The sport needs that. In the past we had those massive characters and I hope that some of the new team principals are going to grow into these roles in an authentic way, because you can't fake it.
"Christian was one of those protagonists. He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an ass, and he loved to play that role. You need an asshole, people need to hate someone."
As the sport moves forward, Wolff’s comments suggest that the paddock may need a new antagonist to keep the storylines as thrilling as ever.
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