The hostility between the Mercedes and Red Bull camps was kicked up another notch ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff referred to his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner as a “yapping little terrier.”
Horner attributed the penalty handed out to Max Verstappen at the Qatar Grand Prix as being “more based on hysterics from George [Russell], who has been quite hysterical this weekend,” That followed Verstappen saying he had lost all respect for Russell due to the way he had lobbied for a punishment in the stewards’ room on Saturday night.
However, with Russell addressing the situation for the first time by claiming Verstappen had threatened to purposely crash into him, Wolff unexpectedly joined his driver during a media session in Abu Dhabi and stated his belief that Horner has enabled Verstappen’s behavior.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
“I think as a team principal, it’s important to be a sparring partner for your drivers,” Wolff said. “And that means explaining that things can be more nuanced. Statements that are absolute, thinking that everything is either 100 percent right or 100 percent wrong, is something I just think you need to explain. Think of more nuance, depending on your perception and your perspective.
“You need to allow for something to be 51-49; you need to allow for it to be 70-30. There is always another side. Maybe when you look at it that way, and you explain it to your drivers and to your team, you come to the conclusion that there is truth on both sides. If you don’t do that, you’re falling short of your role. It’s just weak.
“At the end, why does he [Horner] feel entitled to comment about my driver? How does that come? But even thinking about it, I’ve spent 90 seconds to think about it… Yapping little terrier. Always something to say.”
Wolff says he is not keen on interfering between the two drivers as they each criticize each other for their conduct in Qatar, but that he wanted to address Horner’s comments himself.
“I tell you clearly: There is a thing between drivers, and this is George and Max, and I don’t want to get involved in that, but if the other team principal calls George hysteric, this is where he crosses a line for me. Now, his forte for sure is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but that’s quite a word. How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver.”