“How does he know half an hour after he saw the car”– Toto Wolff hits back at Red Bull boss Christian Horner for his “illegal sidepod” comment which apparently latter never made

Tanish Chachra | 10/03/2022
"How does he know half an hour after he saw the car"– Toto Wolff hits back at Red Bull boss Christian Horner for his "illegal sidepod" comment which apparently latter never made

Toto Wolff responds to the comments made by Christian Horner on his “illegal sidepod” comments which the latter never made.

Mercedes sparked headlines when they entered Bahrain with their sidepodless design. On Thursday morning, it was reported that Christian Horner even claimed it to be illegal.

However, Red Bull’s official statement claimed that Horner never even said it. Yet, it didn’t hold Mercedes boss Toto Wolff from taking a jibe at Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Wolff attacked Horner by saying how the latter can figure out the car’s legality by watching it only for 30 minutes, especially when he saw the car for the first time.

“How does he know half an hour after he saw the car for the first time that our car is supposed to be illegal?” said Wolff as per the Express.

Also read: Max Verstappen dismisses extreme sidepod innovation by Mercedes

Christian Horner surprised by the report

The Red Bull boss was tracked by SkySports to further ask about his comments against Mercedes’ design. The 49-year-old team principal was surprised by the statements attributed to him.

“I was slightly surprised to be reading comments I’m supposed to have been making, but there we go,” Horner told Sky F1. “I haven’t paid a great deal of attention to [the Mercedes].”

“It’s obviously a fairly different concept, but that’s for the designer guys and aerodynamicists to get into. Let the guys digest it and understand it.”

Toto Wolff would want to make it work

The new sidepod design by Mercedes reportedly gives Mercedes an edge in downforce. However, it is still not measurable by what margin they would be brought ahead compared to the rest.

On Thursday, Wolff claimed that he needed the new design to make the car faster. Otherwise, there is no use for it. Meanwhile, George Russell also had a similar sentiment.

The race in Bahrain is hardly 10 days away. It would display how good the new Mercedes car is in opposition to others. Though, they have already been deemed as favourites for the title along with Red Bull and might hold onto their ninth consecutive world title.

But the season is long, and the new regulations can bring in surprises. In the end, an exciting season is only expected by the fans.

Also read: Mercedes find Inspector Seb having a look at their W13; asks Aston Martin to take away their man

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Christian Horner Mercedes Toto Wolff

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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