Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has labelled his Red Bull chief Christian Horner, as a “yapping little terrier.”
The comments came while refraining from directly criticizing Max Verstappen amid the Dutch driver’s ongoing feud with George Russell.
The tension between Verstappen and Russell intensified on Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen doubled down on his criticism of Russell following the Qatar Grand Prix, where a controversial penalty dropped him from pole position.
In response, Russell accused Verstappen of making a violent threat against him before the race.
During Russell’s media session ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, Wolff took the unusual step of joining his driver in Mercedes’ hospitality area to weigh in.
The Mercedes team principal voiced his displeasure over Horner’s remarks, where the Red Bull boss had referred to Russell as “hysterical.”
Toto Wolff responds to Chrstian Horner saying George Russell was “quite hysterical” last Sunday. pic.twitter.com/FV72KTBxvj
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) DECEMBER 5, 2024
“Why does [Horner] feel entitled to comment about my driver?” Wolff questioned.
“How does that come? That even thinking about it, I just had 90 seconds to think about it… Yapping little terrier. Always something to say.
“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 ‘hysterical,’ this is where he crosses a line for me.
“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?”
Wolff, who has previously expressed interest in signing Verstappen for Mercedes in the future, refrained from directly condemning the four-time world champion.
Instead, he suggested that Verstappen’s behaviour may be a result of inadequate guidance from Horner during heated moments.
George Russell is not happy with Max Verstappen. 😬
The Dutch four-time world champion said he “lost all respect” for Britain’s Russell after receiving a penalty at the Qatar Grand Prix.#BBCF1 pic.twitter.com/H6lczF4Pw1
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) DECEMBER 5, 2024
“As a team principal, it’s important to be a sparring partner for your drivers,” Wolff explained.
“That means explaining that things can be more nuanced.
“Statements that are absolutistic – thinking that everything is 100% right or 100% wrong -are just something you need to explain. Things are more nuanced depending on your perception and your perspective.
“You need to allow for something to be 51-49, or 70-30 – there’s always another side. And maybe when you look at it that way and explain it to your drivers and 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.”
The feud began during Qatar Grand Prix qualifying, where Verstappen was penalised for impeding Russell by driving too slowly on his warm-up lap, which cost him pole position. Russell inherited the spot after the stewards’ decision.
Verstappen was furious, claiming Russell actively worked to get him penalised.
Verstappen, for his part, has remained unrepentant about his remarks. “I meant everything I said,” Verstappen stated. “If I had to do it again, maybe I’d have said even more.
“In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I experienced in the stewards’ room in Qatar. That was really unacceptable.”
