Mercedes boss Toto Wolff makes his feelings crystal clear about Christian Horner and Max Verstappen getting booed at F1 75 launch event

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claimed that the F175 launch event should not be criticized just because his counterpart and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was booed by the public. The two team bosses have often been at loggerheads with one another over the past couple of years and do not leave any opportunity to call out each other publicly.

Horner, who like Wolff and the rest of the F1 team principals and drivers, attended the F1-75 Launch event at the O2 Arena in London on February 18. However, he was taken aback by the echo of boos throughout the arena directed towards him and Max Verstappen when they launched the RB21.

While many have criticized the fans for booing in a public event, speaking with Sky Sports F1 ahead of the official pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Mercedes team principal had a different point of view and reflected on Christian Horner being on the receiving end of the hostile environment:

"We shouldn’t talk an event down that was mega just because one single individual was rightly or wrongly booed when he spoke. It was a great event. The spectators there were great. The presentation of the cars was good and it sets a new format for the years to come and that is the new positive we need to take from that.”

When asked if he booed his Red Bull counterpart, the Austrian jokingly replied:

“No! I wasn’t booing. There was 15,000 people that did that. It wasn’t necessary that I did.”

Mercedes will have a fresh driver's lineup for the 2025 season with George Russell, partnering alongside rookie Kimi Antonelli, who was selected as the replacement for outgoing Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes team boss previews the 2025 season for the German team

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff predicted that the 2025 season would be very close and they would give their best shot to compete in the championship.

As per Straits Times, the 53-year-old reflected on the upcoming season and said:

“It is going to be a highly competitive season. We saw last year just how close the field was. You couldn’t say race-to-race who would be at the front, and I expect this year to be even closer. We will have to be at our very best if we want to challenge for championships this season.”

He was also confident of Antonelli's rookie campaign and added:

“Kimi has all the necessary talent to achieve great things at the pinnacle of the sport, but this is a rookie season and there will inevitably be ups and downs. We’re looking forward to that journey together, though, and helping him develop over the course of the year.”

Mercedes have only won five races in the last three years of the current regulations and finished P4 in the Constructors Championship last year. In 2025, the Brackley-based outfit will hope to end on a stronger note before heading into new engine regulations in the 2026 season.