Toto Wolff: Christian Horner booing shouldn't overshadow success of F1 75 Live

New York Times

25-02-2025

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said that the boos directed towards Red Bull boss Christian Horner should not detract from the overall success of F1 75 Live.
Formula 1 held its first ever live event at the O2 in London on January 18 to mark its 75th anniversary season. All 10 teams, team bosses and all 20 drivers were present as each car's livery was officially unveiled.
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Horner, along with four-time world champion Max Verstappen, was booed when he appeared on the stage and shown on the screen.
Wolff believes that the reaction to Horner should not overshadow the event.
'You shouldn't talk an event down that was mega just because one single individual, rightly or wrongly, was booed when he spoke,' the Austrian told Sky Sports on Tuesday ahead of preseason testing in Bahrain.
'It was a great event. I mean, 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 positive we need to take from that.'
When asked if he joined in with any of the jeers, Wolff said: 'No, I wasn't booing, there were 15,000 people that did that! It wasn't necessary that I did.'
Wolff and Horner have shared a contentious relationship over the years as their drivers have gone head-to-head on the track. Their rivalry intensified during the 2021 season when Verstappen and then-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton battled to the final race of the season for driver's title, which culminated in the Dutchman snatching the championship away from Hamilton on the final lap.
In September last year, Wolff accused Horner of 'always trying to stir the s*** up' when the Red Bull team principal implied that Red Bull would consider trying to sign George Russell when his contract was up at Mercedes.
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After Verstappen and Russell were involved in a dispute at the Qatar Grand Prix — where Verstappen was handed a controversial one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell — Horner defended his driver at the following race in Abu Dhabi and criticised Russell's 'hysterics.'
Wolff was critical in his response.
'Yapping little terrier. Always something to say,' he said, adding that Horner 'crossed a line.'
Horner was keen to hit back.
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'To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing?,' he said. 'They're not afraid to have a go at the bigger dogs. I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf, maybe.
'There seems to be a love-hate relationship where I think Toto loves to hate me. It's one of these things.
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The FIA, F1's governing body, condemned the reaction to Verstappen and Horner in a statement on Saturday, describing it as 'tribalist' and 'disappointing.'
'Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that' it said.
Boos were also directed towards the FIA when its logo was shown on screens inside the arena.
Preseason testing gets underway on Wednesday in Bahrain and ends on Friday.