Christian Horner couldn’t help but take a jab at Toto Wolff.
Christian Horner has brushed off Toto Wolff’s claim he’s seen an increase in Red Bull CVs, saying the Austrian should worry more about the “220” engine personnel Red Bull signed than “one or two” CVs.
Red Bull have spent the past three months trying to silence rumours about their personnel, beginning with Horner when he was investigated for alleged inappropriate behaviour, which was dismissed, before extending to Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and more recently Adrian Newey.
Mercedes and McLaren ‘seeing’ uptick in Red Bull CVs
However, it was the latter that proved to be accurate.
Red Bull announced in the build-up to the Miami Grand Prix that Newey would leave the team in the first quarter of 2025, the design guru immediately taking a step back from the team’s Formula 1 project with Horner confirming he has “no access to any data” nor is he “drawing parts” as he focuses instead of the RB17 hypercar.
Zak Brown of McLaren wasted no time in seizing the opportunity, stating that the departure of the design icon is unsettling and could potentially trigger a chain reaction at Red Bull.
He expressed his opinion, saying, “I believe there will be more opportunities in the future given the number of resumes we are receiving.” Additionally, he mentioned, “We have noticed a rise in CVs being submitted by members of the team.”
Wolff, the Mercedes counterpart, joined in and confirmed, “Zak is completely right, we are observing Red Bull CVs at every level.”
PlanetF1.com recommends
Christian Horner and Toto Wolff: A history of Formula 1’s odd couple
F1 team principals’ rich list: Net worth figures revealed for Wolff, Horner and more
Christian Horner claps back at Toto Wolff
During Horner’s post-race review in Miami, Wolff and Brown’s remarks were directed towards him. Although he initially disregarded their comments, he couldn’t resist taking a jab at his long-standing rival Wolff.
The Red Bull team boss asserts that instead of worrying about the possibility of Mercedes receiving a few CVs, Wolff should focus on the fact that a significant number of 220 engine personnel from Mercedes have joined Red Bull’s Powertrain division.
The list comprised of key personnel who recently joined Red Bull Powertrains. Among them were Ben Hodgkinson, the former head of mechanical engineering at HPP, who assumed the role of Technical Director. Additionally, Phil Prew, chief engineer, Steve Blewett, head of manufacturing, and Omid Mostaghimi, electronics team leader, were also part of the list.
Horner commented on Wolff and Brown’s statements, expressing his belief that it is unavoidable. He acknowledged the tendency of the two candidates to engage in extensive discussions. However, he emphasized that he would not be dragged into a back-and-forth argument. Instead, he suggested that it would be more worthwhile to concentrate on Toto’s personal matters.
“I am not concerned about the level of depth in terms of strength.”
Naturally, team members will always switch between teams. I am unaware of the number of individuals we have hired from McLaren this year or how many people VCARB has employed.
“Mercedes, we’ve transferred a total of 220 individuals from HPP into Red Bull Powertrains. So, instead of fretting over one or two CVs, my concern lies with the significant loss of 220 talented professionals.”
The team boss is completely unconcerned and confidently states, “I’m not worried at all. I have no idea where these CVs are supposed to be sourced from, but we receive CVs on a weekly basis as well.”
The team boss also weighed in on the latest Red Bull personnel rumour amidst reports sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is considering his future.
Horner stated that there are speculations surrounding all individuals, including the Red Bull stalwart. He mentioned that discussing contracts and their conditions with the public is not something they typically engage in.
Read next: David Coulthard’s verdict on ‘troubled’ Mercedes with intriguing data collected
