Video: Is Wolff and Horner's rivalry bad for F1 in 2022?
Formula 1's dramatic 2021 season saw a new rivalry emerge with Mercedes' Toto Wolff often exchanging words with Red Bull's Christian Horner. As F1 embarks on a new season, Crash.net looks at whether their continued rivalry is bad for the sport?
With Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton duelling it out on track for the 2021 Formula 1 drivers' championship, team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner had their fair share of battles off it through the media.
Despite both Wolff and Horner claiming they wanted to move on from the events in Abu Dhabi at the first 2022 pre-season test in Barcelona, both men have hit the headlines once again in recent weeks.
With the release of Sky Sports' documentary, Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen, Wolff made some bold claims.
The Mercedes boss explained his view that a 'bromance' had emerged between former FIA race director Michael Masi and Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley.
“Jonathan Wheatley has done his job,” Wolff said. “He’s turned Michael Masi the race director, not only in Abu Dhabi but before, and probably Max owes him a lot.”
Wolff also said that he has no plans to talk to Masi again after his handling of the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t want to speak to him ever again,” Wolff added.
Horner has also been very outspoken, accusing Mercedes of 'bullying' Masi out of his job.
In an interview with the BBC, “Was it right to fire him based on pressure that was placed on him from a rival team? That for me was wrong,” Horner explained. “That's tantamount to bullying. It's passively aggressive.
“We were on the receiving end of many of Michael's errors. But he is in a high-pressure role in a high-pressure sport. But what it is unforgivable is the trolling, the abuse online, the death threats that he and his family had. That absolutely cannot be condoned in any way.”
Hamilton and Verstappen have moved on from what happened in Abu Dhabi, so is it time for their respective team bosses to do the same?
Check out our latest video as we assess the Wolff-Horner rivalry going into F1 2022.
