Toto Wolff has slammed Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner in the wake of the escalation of the war of words between their drivers, George Russell and Max Verstappen.
Wolff was left fuming in Qatar after Horner suggested that Russell had been “quite hysterical” in the stewards hearing that led a penalty for his driver.
In Abu Dhabi on Thursday Wolff suggested that Horner was “weak” and was “falling short in his role“, in effect for not telling Verstappen that he might be two sides to the story.
“I think as a team principal It’s important to be a sparring partner for your drivers,” he said.
“And that means explaining that things can be more nuanced. Statements that are absolutistic, thinking that everything is either right, 100% right or 100% wrong, it’s just something you I think you need to explain. Think more nuanced, not depending from your perception and your perspective.
“You need to allow for something to be 51/49 you need to allow it to be 70/30, so there’s always another side. And maybe when you look at it that way, and you explain it to your drivers and to your team, you come to the conclusion that there is truth on both sides. If you don’t do that, you’re falling short of your role, It’s just weak.
“Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver? How does that come? But you know, thinking about it, yapping little terrier. Always something to say.
He made it clear that the hysterical comment had particularly riled him.
“There is a thing between drivers, and this is George and Max, and I don’t want to get involved in that,” he said. “But if the other team principal calls George hysteric, this is where he crosses the line for me.”
Now his forte for sure, is not intellectually psychoanalysis. That’s quite a word. How dare you? How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver?“
