“The fiercest rivalry”: Toto Wolff admits F1 feels different without Christian Horner. Toto Wolff reflects on his intense rivalry with Christian Horner.

The two kings of F1

From 2010 to 2025, together as team principals, they won 29 of the 32 available World Championships in both Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. Yet, Christian Horner and Toto Wolff were never truly united. Always fiercely opposed, with completely different approaches to the same role—the Formula 1 team principal—both were able to elevate their philosophy to the top and build legendary cycles of success, but both also had to swallow the bitter cup of defeat more than once. The pair of indomitable rivals who dominated F1 for three decades was finally split last summer, when Christian Horner was removed from the role he had held for 20 years at Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes.

Since then, the British manager has aimed to return to the F1 Circus, but only in a role that puts him back in the spotlight. In the meantime, his counterpart at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, has returned to winning ways, as in the opening of the 2026 season, the Mercedes team has once again—after four years of “purgatory”—become the reference point for the entire grid. In an interview with the Press Association, Toto Wolff also revisited his controversial relationship with Horner, emphasizing the huge differences between them while also recognizing the sporting and media value of his rival.

F1 misses a personality like Horner

“He [Horner] caused quite a stir, and these things have repercussions in our microcosm,” Toto Wolff said. “Personally, I’m torn about it. This sport is missing strong personalities. And his personality was clearly very controversial, which is good for the sport. Do I think he could ever be an ally or someone to share objectives with? I don’t believe so. But even when I felt maximum frustration and anger toward him, you have to remind yourself that even your worst enemy has a best friend somewhere, so there must be something good.”

“If that competitive rivalry hadn’t existed for so many years, and if more time had passed, I’m sure I could have shared a dinner with him and had a laugh,” the Mercedes team principal added. “In those years, the relationship was simply too intense, too fierce, and things happened that I still don’t understand why he did them. I don’t know if he’s finding a path to return, or in what role. Certainly, I wish him no harm. And we have to recognize each other’s merits. There aren’t many team principals who have achieved what he has. I see a situation where, whatever happens, whatever the results, whether he returns to Formula 1 or not, I’m fine with it,” Toto Wolff concluded.

As the 2026 championship progresses with Mercedes back at the front, the absence of the Horner-Wolff psychological warfare is palpable in the media center. While the current technical battles are captivating fans, the era of the “Two Kings” remains a definitive chapter in the history of the sport—one that Wolff, despite the scars of battle, clearly views with a complicated sense of respect.