{"id":301778,"date":"2023-12-08T10:24:33","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T10:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=301778"},"modified":"2023-12-08T10:24:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T10:24:33","slug":"toto-wolff-shoots-down-claims-he-and-red-bull-boss-horner-are-now-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/racing\/f1\/toto-wolff-shoots-down-claims-he-and-red-bull-boss-horner-are-now-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Toto Wolff shoots down claims he and Red Bull boss Horner are now friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Toto Wolff has explained the events that led to his viral photo with Christian Horner in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix paddock after the season finale, denying that he and the Red Bull team principal could now be classified as \u2018friends\u2019.<\/p>\n

The two team bosses were captured embracing in the paddock after the final race of the campaign, putting their differences aside to celebrate their respective achievements after Red Bull confirmed a one-two finish in the Drivers\u2019 Championship standings and Mercedes beat Ferrari to P2 in the Constructors\u2019 Championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was on the way out of the paddock,\u201d Wolff explained to Austrian news outlet OE24. \u201cThere was a nice group around Mark Mateschitz, his mother, and a few people I know well. I joined them and had a funny chat with Geri [Horner], and that\u2019s how the photo came about.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFriends? The last handshake might have been in 2021 before the last race. But you have to recognise the performance of your competitor. I have respect for what the Red Bull team has achieved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wolff was correct to acknowledge the team\u2019s on-track success in 2023. Red Bull pushed out the boundaries of what is possible for an F1 team, breaking the record for the most consecutive victories as a constructor on their way to winning 21 of the 22 Grands Prix, with the only outlier being Carlos Sainz\u2019s triumph on the streets of Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Touching on his prediction from earlier in the campaign that Red Bull would win every race in 2023, Wolff said: \u201cThank God I was wrong, at least they didn\u2019t perform in Singapore. But in the end, the combination of cars and drivers couldn\u2019t even come close to the rest, let alone hope to win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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