Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has denied trying to block Christian Horner from returning to Formula 1 but warned his former rival could face “repercussions” for breaking “quite a lot of glass” during his time as Red Bull boss.
Horner was sacked as team principal and chief executive at Red Bull in July last year but has said he wants to return to address what he called “unfinished business”. One possible route back appeared when his interest in buying the 24 per cent stake in Alpine owned by private investment firm Otro Capital was confirmed in January. Mercedes and Wolff have also expressed interest in that same stake.
Wolff told the Press Association: “He (Horner) has broken quite a lot of glass, and these things have repercussions in our microcosm. When you say things – but that is what he has done all his life, and that is what he knows best. Us looking at that stake is in no connection with Christian. And the idea that there is a rivalry between Christian and me around who buys an Alpine stake is made up. It would be quite sad if that was a consideration of doing such an investment or not. We are looking at it from different angles, and we haven’t come to any conclusions. We want to know whether it makes sense.”
Wolff and Horner became two of the sport’s most high-profile figures as the rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull — and between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, notably during the 2021 title fight — captured fans’ attention. Horner later oversaw Verstappen’s run of four successive titles from 2021-2024, but the final 18 months of his tenure were overshadowed by accusations of controlling behaviour by a female colleague; Horner was twice cleared of those claims.
With Aston Martin reportedly leaning towards Jonathan Wheatley, a former Red Bull figure, as their next team principal, there is no obvious immediate route back into a top team role for Horner.
Wolff added: “I am in two minds about it (Horner returning to F1). The sport is missing personalities. And his personality was clearly very controversial and that is good for the sport. I said to (Ferrari team principal) Fred Vasseur that it needs ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’. And it is now only the good and the ugly left. The bad is gone.”
On whether Horner could ever be an ally, Wolff said: “I don’t think so. But even when I had the biggest frustration, and anger with him, you need to remind yourself that even your worst enemy has a best friend so there must be some goodness. If there wasn’t that competitive rivalry over so many years, and if there was more water down the river, I am sure I could have had hung with him over dinner and had a laugh. Over those years it was just too intense, too fierce, and things happened which even today I cannot comprehend why he has done them.”
Wolff concluded: “I don’t know if he is finding his way back, and in which function. I certainly don’t wish him bad. And we need to give each other credit. There are not many team principals who have done what he has done. I see a situation that whatever happens, whatever outcomes there may be, whether he comes back to Formula 1 or not, I am at ease with it.”
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.