Horner Takes Another Swipe At Wolff: “He Said The Red Bull Engine Would Be A Disaster”
Speaking after Red Bull-Ford’s first win as a power unit manufacturer, former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed Toto Wolff had predicted its engine would be a disaster. He also said his comments about running Ferrari were misinterpreted.
Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has taken another swipe at his old rival Toto Wolff. Speaking to The Guardian after Red Bull-Ford’s first victory as a power unit manufacturer, Horner claimed Wolff had dismissed the engine’s chances, saying it would be very bad and a disaster. The remarks are presented as Horner’s claim, and Wolff’s response does not appear in the report.
The engine project
Horner founded Red Bull’s power unit programme after its former supplier Honda announced it would withdraw as a manufacturer at the end of 2021. Honda returned this year with Aston Martin. Mercedes consistently refused to supply engines to Red Bull.
Criticism of McLaren
Horner also argued that McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose team won the last two constructors’ titles, is unable to put pressure on Wolff. In Horner’s view, Brown is using Wolff’s engine and therefore cannot ruffle feathers, which means Wolff has it quite easy at the moment.
The value of rivalry
Horner said all sport needs rivalry, as in the cases of Ferguson and Wenger or Mourinho and Guardiola, because it percolates and polarises. He said he used that rivalry to galvanise good people to take on Mercedes.
Ferrari comments
Horner has given several interviews recently to promote a forthcoming book. He claimed that his earlier comments about wanting to run Ferrari’s F1 team were misinterpreted. Describing Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur as an experienced man who has done a decent job, Horner said he, more than anyone, knows the pressures of running a competitive organisation and that his comments were taken out of context.