Toto Wolff snaps at Christian Horner as Lewis Hamilton F1 row boils over at Abu Dhabi GP

Christian Horner lit the spark on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend by claiming Lewis Hamilton had contacted Red Bull over a potential switch from Mercedes.

Rival Christian Horner was urged to be “humble” by Toto Wolff, who also accused the Red Bull CEO of fabricating the story that Lewis Hamilton had gotten in touch with his team over a possible swap.

This week, Horner asserted that before signing a contract deal with Mercedes, the seven-time world champion had contacted Red Bull and Ferrari. A day later, however, Hamilton refuted that, claiming Horner was merely “stirring things”.

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, team principal Wolff stood by his driver and told media that he had received their messages. “I simply don’t understand the guy’s motivations,” he remarked of his Red Bull colleague.

We don’t know how he came up with these ideas in his head. Christian requested his contact information so that we may discuss the seat through an organization we collaborate with.

“That’s how it happened; Christian asked about his availability. Lewis quickly told me about an exchange he had with Christian. It had nothing to do with a seat; rather, it was simply… bland. I’ve witnessed it.

Thus, I’m not sure what motivated him to make this public. The season is yours. Be humble and content with it. Have fun with it. Please refrain from making remarks regarding Abu Dhabi 2021 that are wholly inappropriate. I’m just curious as to what’s happening up there.

Since his contract with Red Bull expires in 2024, Sergio Perez’s future there has been under scrutiny recently. Thus, if Red Bull were to change, Hamilton would team up with Max Verstappen, his competitor for the 2021 championship.

When questioned about the circumstances, the Dutchman refused to speculate. “What would it add to know?” he asked. Since I was unaware, it isn’t taking place. You understand that fabricating tales if they aren’t true is pointless. It wouldn’t bother me. It doesn’t really matter which driver.”

Since they have been rivals for a long time, Wolff and Horner have rarely passed up the chance to criticize one another in public. Wolff continued by saying that he does not enjoy their connection, but he made a suggestion that he deliberately views Horner as a “enemy” in order to keep himself motivated.

“Not rivalry – I believe in enemy building and in looking at people that inspire you, irritate you, that you want to beat,” the Austrian continued. I urge all employees to identify such person inside the other teams. Go through LinkedIn for a while. Look who it is. On my laptop, there are two windows that are always open.”