Horner pokes fun at Wolff over racing career: “I raced, Toto took part…”

Horner spent his early years racing in International Formula 3000 with Arden International.

He took a step back from racing at the end of 1998 before moving into the management of the team.

Several years before that, Wolff started his own racing career in Germany, competing in Austrian and German Formula Ford.

While both didn’t enjoy much success driving, Horner and Wolff will go down as two of F1’s greatest-ever team principals.

Under Horner’s stewardship, Red Bull have won six drivers’ and five constructors’ championships, while with Wolff in charge, Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021.

Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, Horner was asked whether his - and Wolff’s experience as racing drivers - gives them an advantage as team principal.

He replied: “I raced, Toto took part, and of course it gives you an insight to the emotions that the driver goes through and some of the challenges. 

“It’s quite a lonely place sitting in that cockpit and when you look out, you want to feel you have a team that believes in you, that they’ve got your back and that inspires confidence. I think for me that was the key thing that I took out of my driving time and having driven for good teams and not-so-good teams - it was all about the people in the end. 

“I think like in any business it’s all about people and how they work together.”

Horner expanded further on why he thinks he’s been successful as team principal.

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“Personally I just enjoy working with people - trying to get the best out of them and working collectively as a team, setting clear goals and objectives. Just listening and trying to help them,” he added.

“I am not a qualified engineer, I am an ex-driver. I have never been on a management training course in my life and for me it’s about how you empower people, how you give them that confidence, how you give them clear guidance of what’s needed to work collectively as a group.”