ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss, has admitted that he misses his “great enemy” Christian Horner in the Formula 1 paddock, following Horner’s departure from Red Bull after 20 years at the helm of the team. The relationship between Wolff and Horner was notoriously tense for much of their time together in the sport, which added an element of intensity to the 2021 championship between their teams and [Max Verstappen](https://www.espn.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=6&driverId=4665) and [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.espn.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=6&driverId=868). Wolff revealed that both have kept in touch via text messages since Horner’s departure in July. He said to me: ‘What are you doing now, because you love to hate me and I’m not here anymore!’ Wolff commented to the Dutch media in Zandvoort. “It’s a bit ambivalent because, A: his track record is very good, one of the most successful in Formula 1. Clearly, there are things he did well within the team. I think he was, to some extent, respected in Milton Keynes. But we didn’t use to have the same opinion or perspective. So he’s been a great wonderful enemy over the years. Do I miss him? It’s quite strange to come here and not have Christian here. What do you do without him? That’s a bit weird. And then there’s the pragmatism of [Laurent Mekies, Horner’s replacement]. Suddenly, you can have a conversation about the long term. We are totally different people, but even your greatest enemy is your best friend.” Horner, known for his frankness, has been one of the most controversial figures in modern Formula 1. In a joke about the appearance of Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, Wolff said that the sport needs villains to remain attractive.
The sport needs that. In the past we had those massive characters and I hope some of the new team bosses become these roles in an authentic way, because you can’t fake it. Christian was one of those protagonists. He was frank, he was controversial, he was an idiot and he loved playing that role. You need an idiot, people need to hate someone. Horner’s next move has been the subject of much intrigue. Cadillac’s incoming Formula 1 team has already denied reports that the Englishman will join their project in any way in the future. Recent reports have linked him to a possible move to the struggling Alpine team, although it is unlikely that Horner will return to a conventional team principal role.What I said is that every movie needs the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now the bad guy is gone, it’s just Fred and me left… It took Fred a while to think about that.
Toto Wolff
