Toto Wolff and Christian Horner show true colours in viral F1 paddock photo

30 November 2023 , 19:50

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Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have been rivals for years (Image: Getty Images)

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff proved at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that they can play nice despite their often bitter rivalry.

As the two dominant teams in Formula 1 over the last decade, it is only natural that Red Bull and Mercedes would be mortal enemies. Lewis Hamilton ruled the roost for many years when his team were on top, while it's now Max Verstappen's turn to wear the crown.

The rivalry between the two racers reached boiling point at the height of their blockbuster 2021 title battle. And that relationship is reflected in the one between their respective bosses.

Horner and Wolff are both passionate in their defence of their teams. And that often leads to some headline-grabbing clashes between them with neither ever afraid to speak their minds about the other.

But amid all the bad blood, there remains a respect between them. The retirement of AlphaTauri chief Franz Tost means Horner and Wolff are now the two longest-serving team principals on the grid and so know better than most what paddock politics require of them.

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And they demonstrated just how well they can get along at the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi last weekend. A photo went viral of the two smiling and laughing while posing for the camera, after it was posted by the official Red Bull Racing account on social media.

Damon Hill has also made it clear that the smiles were not just for the cameras. The 1996 world champion said on the F1 Nation podcast that he was present at the time as Wolff spoke with Horner outside the Red Bull hospitality with a couple more familiar faces also involved.

The viral photo of Wolff and Horner smiling which showed their respect for one another (Getty Images)

Describing it as a "lovely moment", Hill said: "There is Jos [Verstappen, Max's father] and Christian and Toto and Geri [Horner, Christian's wide] and they're all outside Red Bull and they're having a good old laugh about things.

"Underneath it all, and all the stuff we hear on the rivalry and the needle is the respect. That is so heartening to see that because otherwise it is whipped up into this kind of bitterness just for the sake of the story. Underlying it all, these people are fighters and sportsmen."

Speaking recently about his relationship with Wolff, Horner said: "There has to be a respect, but sport isn't sport without rivalry. Obviously, we haven't seen much of him the last couple of years but I'm sure he's plotting. I'm sure he's got something that they're working on. They're a great team. They are a big team. They have got great drivers. They'll be looking to fight back."

Daniel Moxon