Despite having voiced his criticisms against Netflix’s Drive to Survive on multiple occasions previously, Max Verstappen seems to be aware of some of the most iconic moments from the series. One such moment took place in season five when Christian Horner and Toto Wolff had a heated argument over the safety concerns in F1. The Dutchman recalled this argument between the two team principals and recently let out his inner Wolff while having a conversation with one of his streaming mates.
While playing an online FPS game, Verstappen didn’t receive cover from his left side, and his in-game character died as a result. Furious with his teammates, the 26-year-old shouted so loud that even the microphone on his camera gave out.
In an attempt to mellow the situation down, one of his buddies slyly referred to the famous argument between Horner and Wolff by stating, “Change your f**king headset!” Immediately catching the reference, the Dutchman mimicked some words of Wolff before stopping mid-sentence:
“Even Checo is saying.”
Fans quickly made the connection and took to X to appreciate the memes-referencing genius of the Red Bull driver.
— den LH44 P1 (@quokkatsunoda) August 1, 2024
Ya habrá escuchando las canciones.?
Tanto la del “change you fuck¡ng car” y la del “just an inchident”
https://t.co/6I2Jh7epC2— ¹¹⁶³⁵ ᴳᵃᶰᵒ́ ᴾᵃᵗᵒ ★✨️ (@sprzmv_) August 1, 2024
During the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, the Team Principals had a meeting that was laid bare in season five of DTS. There, Wolff and Horner clashed about the safety rules, with the latter asking the former to change his car if he didn’t feel safe.
Wolff came back at Horner, asking him to change his car because even “Checo has been saying the car is fu**ed.” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicalli eventually intervened to calm everyone down. Meanwhile, Guenther Steiner, who was also present for the meeting, thought it was for the cameras.
The Horner-Wolff spat was an opportunity for the cameras: Steiner
While the famous argument remains engraved in the minds of F1 and DTS fans, Steiner suggests it was only a stunt for the cameras. Speaking to Autosport’s YouTube channel, the former Haas Team Principal claimed that neither party was told to do something of the sort.
However, “they took it into their own hands. They saw an opportunity.” While the 59-year-old did not explicitly confirm anything, he seemed to suggest that the exchange between Horner and Wolff carried an element of exaggeration. The rivalry between Horner and Wolff has always been iconic, particularly given their history.
Since 2010, only Red Bull and Mercedes have won the constructors’ title, and the team principals have remained the same during the tenure. Hence, Steiner felt that the DTS cameras had a fresh chance to add a new angle to a rivalry that had been dwindling a little.
