What Toto Wolff texted Christian Horner after Red Bull axe

Christian Horner has revealed a text that Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff sent him after his axe from Red Bull.

Horner was removed from his position as Red Bull CEO and team principal after last year’s British Grand Prix, bringing to an end a two-decade reign in which he led the team to eight F1 drivers’ championships and six constructors’ world titles.

During the last years of his time as Red Bull boss, Horner had a bitter rivalry with Mercedes counterpart Wolff, with tensions rising during the intense 2021 title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Horner and Wolff engaged in several war of words during this period and regularly threw digs at one another before McLaren emerged as Red Bull’s biggest competitor following the 2022 regulation change.

In the new series of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, which is released this Friday, Horner reads out a text message he received from Wolff in the aftermath of his shock sacking.

“I didn’t know what to say, because on one side you’ve been a real a---hole. But on the other hand, the sport will miss one of its main protagonists,” Wolff wrote.

“Who should I fight? And ‘love to hate’, as you always said? Wolff and Horner have a combined 14 of the last 15 world championships. Not a bad points statistic.”

Horner replied to Wolff: “I’ve loved locking horns with you all these years. So thank you for the rivalry, the competition and the needle. No one else even came close, as the statistics point out. I wish you all the best for the future. ps You need a haircut.”

In the same episode, Horner firmly pins the blame on his exit from Red Bull on Helmut Marko and Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff.

“It was all rather sudden. I didn’t really get the chance to say a proper goodbye. I never imagined to be in this position. Of course your immediate reaction when you’re delivered a s*** sandwich like that is to say ‘F*** them’. I had something taken away from me which wasn’t my choice which was very precious to me,” Horner tells the Netflix cameras.

Horner is then asked if he felt the Verstappens had anything to do with his downfall, to which he responds: “His father has never been my biggest fan. He’s been outspoken about me. But I don’t believe the Verstappens were responsible in any way. I think this was a decision made by Oliver Mintzlaff with Helmut Marko advising from the sideline.

“I think ultimately things changed within the business, within the group. The founder died, and after Dietrich [Mateschitz]’s death, I was probably deemed to have maybe too much control.”