Horner: “I’m not sure Wolff goes to the pub! We don’t have false friendship”

• F1 2023 British Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results

The Red Bull and Mercedes team principals’ rivalry will come under the microscope at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, nearby where both of their teams are based.

And Horner could not resist a gentle poke at his old adversary when asked if he could envisage having a pint together.

“I’m not so sure Toto is the kind of person who goes to the pub,” he joked to talkSPORT.

Horner said about whether they could ever be mates: “I have never been a believer in that.

“He’s trying hard to beat us, we’re trying to ensure that we stay ahead of him.

“While there has to be respect, I don’t see some form of false friendship.

“For me, it is unrealistic.

“It’s part of sport, part of competition. And it’s incredibly easy to pull his chain!

“There has to be a competitive rivalry. It’s not a garden party. We are there to win, to compete, every member of the team knows that.

“The team that wants to beat us the most is the one up the road.

“It’s important that people feel that rivalry. It drives people on to perform better. We want to win.”

Horner and Wolff’s animosity came to a head at the notorious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with race director Michael Masi stuck in the middle.

A new row is brewing over the 2026 engine regulations which has seen Horner and Wolff come to verbal blows again.

Wolff insists that Horner’s criticism of the rules are only because he is “frightened” that the Red Bull Powertrains project is behind schedule.

Horner hit back accusing “typical Toto” of prioritising “self-gain”.