Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes F1 team entered the 2022 season on the back of one of the fiercest rivalries ever seen in Formula 1 history. Max Verstappen entered the year after beating seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title by just eight points after winning a controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Considering what had transpired in the 2021 season, it was fair to say that the animosity between the two sides and their star drivers continued in the 2022 season.
The same was evident during a team principal meeting between Mercedes’s Toto Wolff and Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner. Netflix brilliantly filmed this meeting for season 5 of Drive to Survive.
While Horner’s heated altercation with Wolff was taking place, the Red Bull Racing team principal was also heard telling Netflix that he did not feel comfortable having this discussion when they were around.
Horner reveals discomfort during a heated exchange with Wolff
The heated exchange between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff occurred in Drive to Survive season 5’s episode 2, Bounce Back.
The episode began with Wolff voicing out his concerns regarding porpoising, an issue that affected most teams during the 2022 season. The Mercedes team principal accused the other teams of ‘playing a dangerous game.’
The 51-year-old also threatened them by stating that if a car ended up in the wall due to the porpoising issue, he would come after them.
At this point, Horner interrupted Wolff and said he would prefer to discuss this issue behind the scenes rather than in front of the cameras. However, Wolff didn’t care about the cameras and went about discussing his concerns regarding porpoising.
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The Austrian motorsports executive made it clear that he was not raising this concern because of its negative impact on Mercedes’ performance. Still, he was raising it because he believed it was a safety issue.
However, Horner and the rest of the team bosses were not convinced by Wolff’s argument. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto clarified that safety was a team responsibility and that Mercedes had to compromise on their performance if that was the only way to overcome their porpoising issue.
With Wolff continuing to voice out his concerns during the meeting, Horner seemed to lose his patience. The Red Bull Racing team principal told Wolff that if Mercedes had a problem, then they should change their ‘****ing car.’
The frustration of the rival team bosses did not seem to end there. After the meeting concluded, Horner and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner referred to Wolff’s concerns as a ‘****ing joke.’
Christian Horner enjoys witnessing Mercedes’ struggles
Christian Horner enjoyed witnessing Mercedes’ struggles as he was not done rubbing salt into Toto Wolff and the Silver Arrows’ wounds right there.
The 49-year-old explained how he could only imagine how difficult it must have been for Wolff and Mercedes to no longer be at the top in the 2022 season.
“It’s a horrible feeling that suddenly you’re just part of the scenery and you’re not competing,” added Horner. The Red Bull Racing team principal explained that such a scenario could cause ‘self-doubt’ and several other negative emotions that perhaps Wolff and the rest of the Mercedes team have not experienced before.
The Silver Arrows had a disappointing 2022 season, as after winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014-21, they finished third last year.
The Mercedes team only scored 515 points and were a whopping 244 points behind champions Red Bull Racing (759). A similar scenario was also seen in the Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes’ new recruit George Russell finished fourth in the championship with 275 points, while his seven-time champion teammate Lewis Hamilton finished all the way back in sixth with 240 points.
In stark contrast, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen not only won a record 15 races during the season but also clinched the title by scoring a staggering 454 points. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez finished third with 305 points in the other Red Bull.
Also Read: How Did Toto Wolff Earn His $540 Million Net Worth?: Salary, Investments and More
