Author: Barkha Roy
The tension between Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner took a slight turn at the Belgian Grand Prix when Horner jokingly touched Wolff’s rear wing during a media interview. Although their competitive rivalry dates back to 2021, the two team bosses shared a humorous moment amid their ongoing clashes over the 2026 engine regulations.
The Belgian Grand Prix saw Red Bull dominate once again, taking a 2-1 victory, with Max Verstappen leading the charge
. Meanwhile, Mercedes struggled as Verstappen secured his eighth consecutive win. Wolff, disappointed, described his team’s performance as a “vicious cycle”, referring to the persistent problem of high-speed jumps that has hampered their performance.
The humorous exchange between Wolff and Horner was a surprise, given the history of their contentious relationship, which was captured in the popular Netflix series Drive to Survive. The pair’s rivalry intensified in 2021 when their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, fought fiercely for the F1 World Championship.
Although Red Bull’s dominance continued into the 2023 season, Wolff acknowledged that Verstappen’s impressive performance on the track warranted a bit of “daring”. Verstappen’s relentless driving style has taken him to numerous victories and firmly cemented Red Bull’s position at the top of the championship standings.
Wolff jokingly commented that Verstappen’s performance was the reason for the occasional dare, adding that the Belgian Grand Prix marked Red Bull’s fifth 1-2 finish of the season, highlighting their unrelenting success.
Looking to the future, Wolff expressed his belief that, without Verstappen in the equation, the 2023 season would provide exciting and competitive racing for all the teams. Red Bull’s dominance provoked both admiration and frustration in the paddock, with some suggesting that the competition would be more intense without their overwhelming presence.
Despite the relaxed conversation between the team bosses, Mercedes remains anxious to find a solution to its performance problems after the summer break. Wolff lamented the recurring problem with jumps, which hampered the team’s progress at the Belgian Grand Prix. This problem bothered the squad throughout the previous season, and its re-emergence raised concerns among the Brackley-based team.