Christian Horner has responded to Toto Wolff’s insult amid a feud between drivers Max Verstappen and George Russell.
The Red Bull team principal hit out at the Mercedes driver for being “hysterical” at the Qatar Grand Prix, with Verstappen hit with a one-place demotion on the grid for blocking the Briton during qualifying.
And Wolff was left incensed by the remark and criticism of his driver, hitting back on a fiery Thursday at Yas Marina Circuit to label his colleague “a yapping little terrier”.
But Horner has laughed off the comment and claimed he would rather be a terrier than a wolf.
“Terriers are tremendously loyal,” Horner claimed. “To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing?
“They're not afraid of going at the bigger dogs, I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf, maybe?”
Horner then responded to the specific “hysterics” comment he made in Qatar, which Wolff took such exception to.
"When I was referring to hysterics, I was more referring to the roasting he gave his team when they fit a set of hards onto the car when he was asking for the mediums<” he said.
“He expressed his displeasure about the tyre choice - I'd get fined if I were to repeat the language that was used in this press conference.
“A lot has been said and we know Toto likes to talk a lot, but that's the way it is.
“For us, we just want to finish the season on a high, have a great race, see these guys battle it out and then hopefully everybody can have a well-earned rest after this race.
While Wolff was upset with Horner, he did admit “there is truth on both sides”.
He said: “As a team principal, it’s important to be a sparring partner for your drivers and that means explaining that things can be more nuanced. Thinking that something is either 100 per cent right or wrong, is just something you need to explain from your perception and perspective.
“You need to allow some things to be 51-49 and 70-30. There’s always another side and maybe you look at it that way, you explain it to the drivers and team.
“There’s truth on both sides. If you don’t do that, you’re falling short of your role. It’s just weak.
“Just weak. How can he feel entitled to comment about my driver? Having spent 90 seconds to think about it, yapping little terrier. Always something to say.”
