Christian Horner has openly acknowledged that he does not envision himself forging a friendship with Toto Wolff, his counterpart at Mercedes.
Horner firmly states that he does not subscribe to the notion of cultivating personal relationships with his rivals.
Once again, tensions between the two team leaders have flared, this time regarding the 2026 engine regulations. In response, Wolff has accused Horner of displaying signs of apprehension due to his team’s developmental setbacks.
When asked if he could envision sharing a casual drink with his rival during an interview on talkSport, Horner dismisses the idea with a laugh.
He further elaborates that he prefers not to fabricate a forced or insincere friendship.
“I’m not so sure Toto is the kind of person who goes to the pub,” he said. “I have never been a believer in that. He’s trying hard to beat us, we’re trying to ensure that we stay ahead of him.
“While there has to be respect, I don’t see some form of false friendship. For me, it is unrealistic. It’s part of sport, part of competition. And it’s incredibly easy to pull his chain!
“There has to be a competitive rivalry. It’s not a garden party. We are there to win, to compete, every member of the team knows that. The team that wants to beat us the most is the one up the road.
“It’s important that people feel that rivalry. It drives people on to perform better. We want to win.”
