Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he was “disappointed” to read a suggestion from Toto Wolff that whichever of Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen led the 2021 Formula 1 title fight into a last-round decider would be willing to cause a “Senna-Prost years” collision.
Mercedes F1 chief Wolff made the comment in an interview with the Daily Mail, tying it to the Italian Grand Prix collision where he said Verstappen “took out” Hamilton.
Verstappen was given a five-place grid penalty for that incident, while stewards at the British Grand Prix penalised Hamilton for the collision with the Red Bull driver earlier in the season at Silverstone.
The famous collisions between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at Suzuka in 1989 and ’90 ultimately settled the title battle in both seasons, even though the Japanese Grand Prix was the penultimate race of the year.
“If it was to come to the scenario of the last race in Abu Dhabi and they were to be racing each other for the title, whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years,” Wolff told the Daily Mail.
“What happened in Monza? Verstappen took Lewis out because he was about to overtake and he was quicker. And that is totally understandable.
“If you are racing for the championship and you see it fading away because the other guy is overtaking you, what tool have you got other than the one that makes sure he can’t overtake?
“We’ve seen it with Schumacher and Villeneuve, we saw it with Senna and Prost twice.”
Wolff’s comments were put to Horner in a press conference between the first and second Friday practice session at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Not only did Horner say he was disappointed, but he also stressed that whoever wins the drivers’ championship will want to do so in a clean way.
“I was disappointed to read the comments that that’s being condoned but I think that we want a really fair fight between now and the end of the championship,” said Horner. “Any driver would want to win the championship on track.
“We’re a team of racers and if we can pull off this feat – and it’s a massive, massive task – then we wouldn’t want to win a championship through a collision between the drivers. There’s been enough of those this year already.
“I think what we saw in Austin was a great fight between two drivers very much at the top of their game and with a few more races like Austin between now and the end of the year I think the biggest winner will be Formula 1.
“Nobody wants to see a championship decided in a gravel trap.”
Verstappen yesterday shrugged off the comparison with historic collisions, saying “I don’t really think about previous historic fights between two drivers, what they have done, that’s the past” – stressing he focuses on delivering on track in the present.
Hamilton was also asked about Wolff’s suggestion and stressed he had no interest in winning the championship through a collision.
“I haven’t read what Toto said but I highly doubt he would insinuate that would ever be the case,” said Hamilton.
“We’ve never won a championship in that way, I have never won a championship in that way and would never want to.
“So that’s my perspective, my point of view, I’m here to win in the right way. And that’s through sheer skill, determination and hard work.”
Wolff and Horner have exchanged pointed comments in the media throughout the season, with Horner dismissing it as “all noise”.
Not only has this happened after clashes between Hamilton and Verstappen on track, but also in reference to the behind the scenes lobbying and subsequent technical directives concerning flexi-wings and pit-stop systems.
Despite this, Horner insists he and Red Bull want to do their talking on the track.
“To be honest with you, as far as we are concerned it’s all noise, it all depends on what you do on the track and if you can do your talking on the track then that has way more weight and value,” said Horner when asked how much needle there is between him and Wolff.
“Toto likes to throw in a comment here or there and that’s part of the needle, that’s part of the sport.
“He’s got a lot at stake, he’s going for an eighth world championship with his driver, we’re going for a first with Max and to add to the titles that we’ve already won.
“Formula 1’s a competition. As the pressure builds you see people react to pressure in different ways and we’re at the business end of that championship now so you can feel the tension and that will only grow the longer this goes on.
“If Toto wants to make a comment or two, I’m fine with that. It’s pantomime season coming up anyway, so it is what it is.”
Horner’s pantomime reference was a nod to Wolff’s suggestion in the same Daily Mail interview that the Red Bull team principal is like “a protagonist in a pantomime” – comments that Horner laughed off when asked about them.
He says he has no problem with Wolff and is not surprised that the two teams are willing to fight hard on and off track.
“I have no issue with Toto,” said Horner when asked if there was mutual respect between the pair.
“I think he’s done a great job in a team that he inherited and of course there is respect. Mercedes are a phenomenal team, they’ve achieved great things and there is of course a respect between the two teams.
“But it’s a competition. If we roll over and accept that Mercedes win every race it’s pretty boring and why do we turn up?
“We have been fighting to get into this position to take the fight to Mercedes for seven long seasons now and of course we got ourselves into a competitive position and we want to make sure that we do our very best to convert this between now and the end of the year.
“It will be by far our biggest achievement in Formula 1 if we managed to do that in either of the championships.”
Horner is absolutely right that what really counts is the battle on circuit, rather than the background noise of the comments made off the track.
But the fact neither can resist the temptation to throw a few barbs is indicative of just how intense this remarkable world championship battle is.
