Red Bull team principal Christian Horner reacted with disappointment to comments made by his opposite number Toto Wolff about the potential for another collision between their title-contending drivers.
Wolff suggested Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton could tangle again in the title-deciding race between the pair. “Whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years,” said Wolff, who also claimed Verstappen deliberately hit Hamilton when the pair collided at Monza.“I was disappointed to read the comments that that was being condoned,” said Horner when asked about Wolff’s remarks. “We want a really fair fight between now and the end of the championship.
Prior to their collision at Monza, Hamilton and Verstappen also tangled in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Horner said he doesn’t want any further contact between the pair.
“I think any driver would want to win the championship on-track,” he said. “We’re a team of racers and if we can pull off this feat and it’s a massive, massive task, then we wouldn’t want to win a championship through a collision between the drivers. There’s been enough of those this year already.
“What we saw in Austin was a great fight between two drivers very much at the top of their game. [With] a few more races like Austin between now and the end of the year, I think the biggest winner will be Formula 1. Nobody wants to see a championship decided in in a gravel trap.”
Horner dismissed Wolff’s characterisation of him as a “pantomime” actor who plays up the rivalry between the pair. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s all noise,” said Horner. “It all depends on what you do on the track. And if you can do your talking on the track, then that has way more weight and value.
“Toto likes to throw in a comment here or there and that’s part of the needle, that’s part of the sport. He’s got a lot at stake, he’s going for an eighth world championship with his driver. We’re going for a first with with Max to add to the titles that we’ve already won.
“Formula 1’s a competition and as the pressure builds you see people react to pressure in different ways. We’re at the business end of the championship now so you can feel the tension and that will only grow the longer this goes on.
“So if Toto wants to make a comment or two, I’m fine with that. It’s pantomime season coming up anyway so it is what it is.”
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Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
5th November 2021, 20:56
I suspect Wolff and Horner parse “collide” differently and that each of their statements makes sense in the context of their individual parsing.
Wolff is thinking along the lines of overenthusiastic title contenders accidentally tagging each other in the attempt to gain a position both have reason to believe could be theirs. This, I find very plausible between serious title contenders in general, not just Lewis and Max. It would be more surprising if such an accident was impossible between two such close rivals.
Horner is thinking along the lines of premeditated or intentional collision. I think we can rule that out for both drivers without even saying.
RandomMallard (@)
5th November 2021, 21:09
Both of these two taking whichever side suits them at that moment. Wolff was angry when Horner called Silverstone a professional foul, and vice-versa when Wolff called Monza a tactical foul. I’m pretty tired of both of them (and that’s coming from someone who’s supporting Max, more out of it being someone different than much else tbh). I just hope, however this season ends, it’s as enjoyable and exciting as the rest of the year has been.
Brian
6th November 2021, 4:56
i would compare wolf and Horner with politicians .When on media they will thrush one another because they are fighting for a tittle and it will be very rare finding them being on one side. The other always has something to go against the other. It spices the title fight meaning not only is the fight on track but also on the principals. This has been so far my best year of F1 not only among the top 2 but also for the middle drivers. The competition is exciting.
Illusive (@illusive)
6th November 2021, 5:32
I am actually enjoying it, it’s not like they are abusing each other like teenage boys. It’s all part of this epic season in and off the track. F1 has come alive in 2021 after years of slumber.
overrated
5th November 2021, 23:33
Meh boring overrated category. Two drivers with no competition, the real story is down the order in Formula 1.5.
Imagine having a car that no one can challenge for 7-8 years with a pace anyway near close.
Almost as bad Toyota vs Toyota LMP1.
GongTong (@gongtong)
6th November 2021, 15:25
You realise they’re in two different cars, right?
They even painted them different colours so it’s easy to tell then apart…
melanos
6th November 2021, 13:52
Why somebody would ever listen to TW is a mistery to me
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
6th November 2021, 16:42
Yeah usually, his pre race coments are not to be believed.
But it is almost unimaginebla to me, that those two won’t crash again this season.
I hope the title is not decided by stewards and we see awesome clean racing.
But I would not count on it.