The action spills out of the racetrack with just a day away from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Recently, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff took offense at the comments of Red Bull (RB) chief Christian Horner claiming that Lewis Hamilton’s camp contacted them before the driver’s contract extension with his current team.
For a bit of context, Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner earlier revealed Mercedes’ star driver Lewis Hamilton “reached out” to them to inquire whether they have any interest in him. It should be noted that the previous news sources did not really make it clear who RB talked to from the former champ’s camp but latest reports now say it was Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’ father. Nevertheless, Mercedes F1 Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff was none too pleased.
Wolff found the statements of Horner as incredulous because he firmly believes Hamilton Sr. is no longer involved in his son’s contractual negotiations. He said to Sky Sports that Lewis’ old man has been out of his son’s F1 contractual dealings for more than a decade.
Again, the Mercedes supremo questioned the motivations of his counterpart from RB for stirring up the pot at the last race of the season.
“I just don’t know what drives the guy. We just don’t understand his thinking to come up with these things,” Wolff commented.
In Wolff’s version, it was Horner who went to an agency connected with Mercedes to get Hamilton’s contact details and discuss his possible seat in RB. The Mercedes head added the opposing team was asking about their driver’s availability.
Amid all the drama with Horner, Wolff denied having any form of rivalry with his contemporary when asked by PlanetF1. He even hinted that his enemy is “no one from Formula 1,” but the reporters are thinking otherwise.