Formula 1: Toto Wolff Will Miss Christian Horner After Rival's Sacking

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims he will miss Christian Horner "in a way" after his long-time rival's sacking by Red Bull.

Horner had been in charge of Red Bull since their first Formula One season in 2005, leading them to six constructors' and eight drivers' championships during his 20 years in charge.

However, Red Bull's struggles this season led to Horner losing his job at the start of July, with Laurent Mekies taking over as team principal.

Wolff is now F1's longest-serving team principal, having shared a fierce rivalry with Horner that escalated in 2021 as Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fought for the world championship.

Asked if he will miss Horner, Wolff told Sky Sports F1: "In a way, yes. He was one of the main casts.

"He was someone that was controversial, polarising and not soft-washed.

"That was good from the entertainment factor, and from that perspective, he will be missed. His track record speaks for itself."

Wolff also joked that Horner could cause him trouble if he opted to make a return to the sport with a role in the FIA, saying: "I don't think he's gone forever, he could pop up in some other function.

"I need to be careful, he could rock up in the FIA, then I'm really in the s***."

Horner's sacking came amidst heavy speculation that four-time world champion Verstappen could make a blockbuster switch from Red Bull to Mercedes.

George Russell hinted that talks had been held between the British team and the Dutchman, which Wolff later confirmed, though he seemed to play down the chances of the deal happening in the near future.

That led to some speculation that Wolff had used the situation to apply pressure to the Red Bull hierarchy, though when that theory was put to him, he brushed it off.

"No. There is much more in the background that we probably don't know with Red Bull," he said.

"Looking after drivers, in my position as team principal of Mercedes, I need to explore what Max is going to do in the next few years, not only next year."

Mercedes are currently third in the constructors' standings on 210 points, 38 points in front of Red Bull ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.