Toto Wolff backs "villain" Christian Horner's F1 return to complete "unfinished business"

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has backed Christian Horner's (ex-Red Bull team principal) potential return to the pinnacle of motorsport. The latter was shown the exit door by Red Bull on July 9, 2025.

Christian Horner led the charge of the Austrian team from 2005 onwards and played a crucial role in helping amass six Constructors' and eight Drivers' Championships. Moreover, he also played a role in bringing top talents like Sebastian Vettel (ret.), Daniel Ricciardo (ret.), and the reigning champion Max Verstappen into the spotlight.

During his time in the sport, Horner and Toto Wolff had some verbal spats on certain occasions. With Horner no longer a part of Red Bull and, in turn, Formula 1, Toto Wolff has made it known that he misses Horner's strong personality. In line with this, the Mercedes team principal has recently added the following via an interaction with Sport Bild:

"We need strong personalities in F1, we need a villain. Christian has always been good at this, he was comfortable in this role. He knew how to dominate the cameras and use them to his advantage. Now that's a bit missing, because there's no friction."

"He has to decide for himself. I don't know if he feels he has unfinished business and wants to prove something. In any case, he knows how to win and collect world titles. His success is undeniable.”

Since Christian Horner's sacking, his Red Bull team principal role has been entrusted to Laurent Mekies. Horner was recently linked with the Kannapolis-based Haas F1 team.

Christian Horner would return to F1 if he's got 'skin in the game'

Christian Horner, despite his recent sacking, is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to F1. He has a wealth of experience in managing a big team, and this could come in handy for other outfits in the upcoming years.

The well-known F1 pundit Martin Brundle recently had an interaction with Christian Horner, and the latter revealed the condition on which he would return to the sport. In line with this, Brundle has shed light on his conversation with Horner via an interaction with The Mirror, and added:

"Formula 1 is his life – that's where his skills and experience lie. He made it absolutely clear to me when I spoke to him that he will only come back if he's got a skin in the game, if he's got a share in the team and is building something, rather than being a manager as he was with Red Bull."

"He couldn't get any shareholding in that Toto Wolff is a good example of how to do that as a one-third shareholder in the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team."

Before the recent Haas rumors, Horner was also previously linked with teams like Ferrari and Alpine.