"Horner has been telling Toto the same thing since 2022" - Fans react to Red Bull boss suggesting Mercedes to focus on the car instead of drivers

F1 fans have reacted to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner's jibe towards Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, saying that the latter should focus on his car rather than unavailable drivers.

Ever since Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a Red Bull female employee, the entire team has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. This has caused rumors to spark about Max Verstappen leaving the Austrian team amid all the chaos.

After Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, was seen talking to Toto Wolff after the Bahrain GP earlier this year, rumors about the Dutchman moving to Mercedes flared up.

Fast forward to the 2024 F1 Chinese GP, Toto Wolff talked about multiple factors that play a role in deciding which team a driver chooses. He further stated that Verstappen could have more reasons to stay in a team than just a fast car.

When Red Bull's team principal was asked about Toto's quotes in a media session, where Sportskeeda was present, Horner stated that Mercedes' team principal should focus on improving his car rather than discussing drivers that are not up for sale.

“I don’t think Toto’s problems are his drivers. I think he’s probably got other elements that he needs to be focusing on – rather than focusing on drivers that are unavailable,” Horner said.

Several fans on X agreed with Christian Horner and talked about how Toto Wolff should focus on fixing the Mercedes W15 and back the drivers he has at the moment.

"Horner has been telling Toto the same things since 2022 but his words are falling on deaf ears," one fan wrote.

"I agree with Horner. I am not sure why Toto likes to comment about either Redbull, Horner or Verstappen frequently like that! Man (Toto), focus on your team," explained another.

"Which is entirely right," one fan agreed.

One of the fans mentioned how Horner is indirectly bragging about Red Bull's RB20, which has been quite dominant in the 2024 F1 season so far. On the other hand, a few fans did not forget about the allegations against Horner and asked him to focus less on Red Bull's car and more on his family.

"Bro flexing on his RB20. I mean he has the right to after these performances," another added.

"Christian should focus less on his car and more on his family," one exclaimed.

"Coming from Christian Horner," someone wrote.

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Mercedes team boss explores factors that play a role in a driver changing teams while addressing the Red Bull star

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has talked about factors that could play a role in Max Verstappen's decision to change teams in the future. There have been several rumors about Verstappen leaving the Austrian team and joining Mercedes. Hence, Toto Wolff addressed it in detail.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, he stated that many factors play a role in a driver's decision to jump teams. Though he understands that one of the most straightforward factors is whether a team has a good car, he feels Max Verstappen has more depth and reasons to stay in a team.

“There are so many factors that play a role in a driver joining. Clearly when you look at it from the most rational point of view, you can say ‘that's the quickest car in the hands of the quickest driver’,” Toto said.

“But I don't think this is the only reason you stay where you are. Let's say [for] simple minds, that might be the only reason why you stay in a car and that's it. But maybe there are more depths for some people that consider other factors too. I think that Max has that,” he added.

As of now, Max Verstappen continues to dominate with Red Bull in the 2024 F1 season. He leads the drivers' championship with 110 points.