Red Bull's Christian Horner lifts the lid on his relationship with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff

Christian Horner opened up on his complicated relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, saying he respects the latter, but the rivalry is essential in every sport. He claimed that excess camaraderie between rivals was akin to being dishonest in the sport of F1.

The rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes first ignited during the 2021 F1 season and gained fire after the controversial results of the Abu Dhabi GP in the same year. Apart from the on-track rivalry, the verbal battle between team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff gave rise to an infamous off-field rivalry that continues to intrigue fans.

In an interview with talkSPORTS released on December 19, Horner shared his honest feelings on his tricky relationship with Wolff. He explained that he respects the Mercedes boss for all the success he has achieved in the past.

"I think the most important thing the end of the day is respect. I mean Toto's done a great job at Mercedes in the time that he's been there but again it has to be competitive. He'll have a go at me every now and again and you give as good as you get so, but that's Sport" Horner said (26:30 onwards.)

Claiming that being competitive is the essence of the sport, he added:

"I think is if it's all just flowers and pleasantries, it's disingenuous to the competition that exists there," he added.

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff recently had a tiff over Max Verstappen and George Russell's verbal feud. While the Austrian criticized the Brit for interfering, Horner also didn't hold back from defending his driver.

Previously, the duo clashed over differences in opinions on multiple occasions. However, as Horner clarified, the mutual respect has stayed intact, irrespective of the on-track competition.

Meanwhile, the 51-year-old has a tough task at hand for the upcoming F1 season. With McLaren and Ferrari building momentum, Red Bull reached a consensus on an immediate shakeup in the drivers' lineup. The energy drink-based team parted ways with Sergio Perez and replaced him with Liam Lawson for the 2025 F1 season.

However, the move didn't seem to sit well with a large section of the fans as Red Bull ignored Yuki Tsunoda, who has been driving for their sister team, VCARB, since 2021.

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Christian Horner explains why Red Bull chose Lawson over Tsunoda

Christian Horner with Liam Lawson (Image Source: Getty)

Amid backlash from the fans, Christian Horner revealed behind-the-scenes discussions that led to Liam Lawson's promotion over Yuki Tsunoda. In the same interview with talkSPORTS, the team principal admitted that stakeholders, senior managers, and engineers felt that the New Zealander is more equipped to handle the pressure of being Max Verstappen's teammate.

“Liam’s a product of our junior team and he’s a young talent that we took on six years ago and nurtured him through the lower Formula. I think we’re seeing in him a character and a robustness to deal with the pressure of being Max’s teammate. He’s only done 11 Prix but he impressed us and the engineering staff and, of course, the scrutiny he will be under as Max’s teammate," Horner said.

While Lawson's experience in F1 is limited to just 11 races, Christian Horner affirmed that he has faith in Red Bull's junior program process through which the 22-year-old passed with flying colors.