Red Bull boss Christian Horner praised his long-term Mercedes rival Toto Wolff for the Austrian’s willingness to speak openly about his battle with mental health issues.
Horner and Wolff led the season-defining battle between Red Bull and Mercedes that raged throughout the epic 2021 campaign. The two team principals waged a year-long war of words as the battle between their teams raged while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton fought Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the title.
Verstappen won the dramatic and controversial final showdown, with Hamilton and Mercedes feeling robbed by a controversial late safety car decision made by race director Michael Masi who has since left his role.
Wolff called Horner a ‘windbag’ during last season's verbal sparring, while the Brit compared Wolff to a pantomime dame. However, perhaps a line has been drawn after Horner praised the Austrian for his openness on such an important topic ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
“All credit to Toto for having the courage to talk out about his issues with mental health,” Horner told reporters. “I think that it is something in this business that we are acutely aware of and something that we’re looking to be pro-active on.
“I’m fortunate that I haven’t had issues personally but I’ve had friends that I know who have suffered as a result of mental health issues.”
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Horner’s comments come after Wolff spoke about the mental health issues that affected him for over a decade despite leading the Silver Arrows to dominance. The 50-year-old recently revealed he had been seeing a psychiatrist since 2004 and had experienced over 500 hours of therapy.
“I have suffered mentally, I still do,” Wolff told The Sunday Times. “Getting help is a way of overcoming my problems, and it has helped me to access untapped potential.
“I’ve never had any problem with the stigma. Some of the most successful people are very, very sensitive and very, very sensitive means very, very vulnerable.”
Despite his public displays of leadership and his position as the figurehead of the Mercedes juggernaut, Wolff admitted he sometimes felt depressed and inadequate. He praised United States gymnast Simone Biles and tennis superstar Naomi Osaka for their public stances on mental health struggles.
Team USA Olympic gymnast Biles kickstarted the global conversation on mental well-being among sports stars after she courageously announced her struggles during the Tokyo Games. Osaka is also a passionate advocate who is open about her own struggles.
