Toto Wolff launched a sensational fresh attack on his Formula 1 nemesis Christian Horner, declaring: "Every second that I spend on talking about him is a waste of time in my life."
The Mercedes team principal also claimed that he is "living in his head rent-free" and that the "guy is obsessed" in a new interview with The Times. It is the latest shot fired between the pair whose respective teams have spent much of the last few seasons at war.
It came to a head during the 2021 season, when Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fought tooth and nail to beat each other to the drivers' title. As things turned ugly at times between the drivers on the track, Horner and Wolff regularly went at each other off it as well.
Mercedes were not as competitive last season while Red Bull dominated the campaign, so the rivalry was largely dormant for much of the year. But Wolff's latest attack on his counterpart will likely light the touchpaper ahead of the upcoming new season.
There haven't been many swipes taken between them in recent months, though last October Horner made an indirect comment which was clearly referencing the Mercedes chief. He appeared to mock Wolff for a moment of anger he showed during the height of their 2021 fight, when he threw his headphones down on the table.
"I think the Brits are quite good at that, keeping a stiff upper lip, head down and get on with it," Horner said wryly. For me, [the 2021] world championship was very much about that and you could see it was a titanic battle, not just between the two drivers on track but by the two teams off the track.
"And the person you are gauging yourself and are pitched against as the team principal, your opposite number. It's a mental game as much as a physical activity as well, and of course it was the first time that team in a seven or eight-year period had come under any form of pressure.
"I think you see people's true personalities and what they have really got when they are under pressure." But even though Wolff finds Horner to be a consistent source of annoyance, he still can find plenty of joy in his life.
"I have great moments in F1," he added in his Times interview: "I love the team, I love the challenge. But what I really love is my family. I have three children, who are 21, 18, and five years old. Having the family together is what gives me the greatest enjoyment. And with my wife [Susie] I have found the perfect partner. My wife can drive cars faster than I. But that is the least of her attributes. We are total soulmates."
