Toto Wolff admits he misses 'great enemy' Christian Horner in F1

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands -- Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted he misses having his "great enemy" Christian Horner in the Formula 1 paddock after Horner was sacked by Red Bull after 20 years in charge of the team.

He and Wolff had a famously acrimonious relationship for much of their time in the sport together, which provided one of the many compelling aspects to the legendary 2021 championship between their teams and Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Wolff this week revealed the pair have been in contact over text since his sacking in July.

"He said to me: 'What are you doing now, because you love to hate me and I'm gone!'," Wolff told Dutch media at Zandvoort.

"It's a bit ambivalent because, A: his track record is very good -- one of the most successful in Formula 1. So, clearly there are things he's done well within the team. I think he was to a certain degree respected in Milton Keynes.

"But then we didn't often have the same opinion or perspective. So, he's been a wonderful, great enemy over the years. Am I missing him? It's quite strange to come here and Christian's not going to be around. I mean, what are you doing with him not around? That's a bit weird.

"And then you have the pragmatism of [Horner's replacement] Laurent Mekies. Suddenly you can have a conversation about the long term. We're just totally different people, but even your biggest enemy is your best friend."

The outspoken Horner has been one of the most controversial figures in modern Formula 1.

In a quip about the looks of Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, Wolff said the sport needs villains to stay compelling.

"What I said is that every movie needs the good, the bad and the ugly. Now the bad is gone, it's only Fred and I left ... It took Fred a while to think about that," Wolff said.

"The sport needs that. In the past we had those massive characters and I hope that some of the new team principals are going to grow into these roles in an authentic way, because you can't fake it.

"Christian was one of those protagonists. He was outspoken, he was controversial, he was an ass, and he loved to play that role. You need an asshole, people need to hate someone."

Editor's Picks

• 

  Verstappen: I knew I'd be at Red Bull in 2026

  3hNate Saunders

• 

  Dutch GP: What to know as F1 restarts after the summer break

  5hESPN

Horner's next move has been the subject of a lot of intrigue.

Cadillac's incoming Formula 1 team have already shut down reports that the Englishman will join their project in some capacity in the future -- sources have told ESPN that move is not on the cards.

More recent reports have linked him with a move to Alpine's floundering team in some capacity, although it is unlikely Horner would take on a conventional team boss role again.