Horner “disappointed” Wolff suggested crash could decide F1 title

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he was “disappointed” to hear his opposite number at Mercedes Toto Wolff suggest that this year’s Formula 1 title could be decided by a deliberate collision.

Lewis Larkam

05 Nov 2021

(L to R): Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B and Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W12 battle for the lead at the start of the race. — (L to R): Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B and Lewis Hamilton …
© xpbimages.com

In an interview with the Daily Mail in the build up to this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, Wolff predicted a further clash between F1 title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, saying “whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years”.

Wolff also appeared to indicate that he felt Verstappen had purposely hit Hamilton in their second collision of the season at Monza, which followed a dramatic coming together at Silverstone earlier in the year.

“I was disappointed to read the comments that that was being condoned,” Horner said on Friday when asked about Wolff’s comments.

"I think we want a really fair fight between now and the end of the championship, and I think any driver would want to win the championship on track.

"We're a team of racers. If we can pull off this feat, and it's a massive, massive task, then we wouldn't want to win a championship through a collision between the drivers. There's been enough of those this year already.

"I think what we saw in Austin was a great fight between two drivers very much at the top of their game. [With] a few more races like Austin between now and the end of the year, I think the biggest winner would be Formula 1.

"Nobody wants to see a championship decided in a gravel trap.”

Verstappen heads into this weekend’s race in Mexico City holding a 12-point advantage over Hamilton, having increased his points lead with his eighth victory of the season in the United States last time out.

"It's been so tight between the two drivers to-ing and fro-ing, pretty much from that first race in Bahrain, and I think that it's been an intense battle between the two of them," Horner added.

"The way that Max has handled that has been totally commendable. It's his first time in this situation in Formula 1, but I think he's just sticking to his principles, the way he races, the way he drives.

"He's got the five or six seasons behind him now of experience which he's using to great effect."