Last Updated on January 6 2024, 11:48 am

In modern Formula One there is one great rivalry. One that at times spins out of control as the gladiators from each side go for the jugular given the opportunity.

Gone are the days when Ferrari were the team to beat and at times the villains as their German star driver pushed the limits of sportsmanship as well as the Scuderia car he dominated in. McLaren are becoming a force to be reckoned with and Aston Martin too show signs of brilliance, but it is the Red Bull v Mercedes battles the fans want to see most.

 

 

 

Bad blood from 2021

Much of this is borne of course from the 2021 season which was decided only on the last lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton and Verstappen had gone at it hammer and tongs all season with the British driver tipping his rival into the wall at the high speed Copse corner.

Verstappen returned the favour in Monza when he attempted to pass Lewis into the first chicane only for the [air to come together and the Red Bull on top of the Mercedes with its wheels spinning inches from Hamilton’s head.

In Abu Dhabi the bad blood boiled over following a controversial decision from race control to restart the race. Mercedes believed it would finish under the safety car and failed to pit Hamilton for fresh rubber while Red Bull did the opposite. As the lapped cars were called through, Michael Massi told the teams they were here to go racing and recalled the safety car.

Of course the inevitable result occurred. Verstappen blew past Lewis on his cold old tyres to claim the race and his first F1 world title.

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Verstappen snubs Mercedes drivers

This flagged the end of Mercedes dominant run of seven consecutive drivers’ titles and it is now Red Bull who are ruling the roost in Formula One.

The spats between the teams are still frequent with Verstappen recently telling Germany’s AMuS he didn’t believe either Hamilton or Russell deserved to be in a dream team F1 driver line up. Max instead selected the McLaren pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

At times the digs are not so subtle as Christian Horner and Toto Wolff let fly at each other, as revealed in the most recent Netflix documentary. Mercedes were struggling with their car design and it was bouncing violently more than the rest of the field.

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Horner: “change your f**king car.”

Toto Wolff wanted the teams to agree on a regulation change he hoped would fix it, but Horner and the rest of the team principals were not in agreement. Netflix revealed the conversation played out like this.

Wolff: “I can tell you that all of you are playing a dangerous game. If a car ends the wall because it is too stiff or it is bottoming out, you are in the s**t and I’m gonna come after you.”

Horner: “Are we playing to the cameras here? I think this is probably better off camera.” This was a reference to the fact the Netflix cameras were unusually present at this team bosses meeting

Wolff: “I don’t care. If you think this is a little game on performance, I’ll tell you, you are very, very wrong.”

Horner: “Change your car. You’ve got a problem, change your f**king car.”

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Red Bull gain from Mercedes FIA demands

Mercedes could have raised the ride height of their car to solve the porpoising, but of course would lose performance in doing so. Such was the pressure from Mercedes calling out the FIA on safety grounds, the regulations were indeed changed for 2023 and the ride heights mandated further from the ground.

Much to Red Bull’s glee, this resulted in Red Bull being able to resolve one of the biggest weaknesses in their 2022 car which was being beaten hands down in the high speed corners by Ferrari.

Adrian Newey revealed to the-race.com recently the discussions which took place in Milton Keynes when Mercedes were pressing for the regulation change. 

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Rule change nobbled Ferrari

“Ah, the interesting thing about that was when the change was announced…. we were discussing it internally,” Newey said.

“Some of our guys were saying, ‘No, we’ve got to really fight this’. But I took the view that, actually, in the high-speed corners last year, we were probably behind Ferrari.

“Our car was getting itself into problems in the very high speed so, actually, that reg change might suit us – so we didn’t really push against it too much.

“It turned out it seems it has suited us,” Newey concludes.

Verstappen snubs Mercedes drivers

 

 

 

Wolff to step back

With the race calendar now stretching to 24 events across the world, teams are looking at ways in which they can rotate their staff to release some of the travel burden. Toto Wolff was way from F1 racing for almost a month in the autumn following knee surgery, but he was confident in his No. 2 – Jérome D’Ambrosio – who he told reporters he was grooming as a stand in team boss at Mercedes.

“The clear aim is to build a structure for the future and that is my sheer responsibility for the team,” Wolff told PA. “A stone could fall on my head and how does it look afterwards? That is why I would like to see myself in a few years maybe not going to 24 races, and just to 15.”

Toto also revealed at the time he had been struggling for some time with his role as far back as the epic 2020 season.

“I really struggled in 2020 to make a decision on whether I wanted to stay active in the sport or to be a shareholder and go back to my finance world. I was tired, mentally and physically, but then I came to the realisation that I wanted to continue.

“I feel I am contributing to the team in the crossover world of finance and motor racing, and I have a passion for both, and that is why I continue to do it.”

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Horner: ‘my job is 52 weeks a year’

So skipping races is something Wolff will do this year but in his latest interview with Sky F1, Christian Horner puts the boot in on his arch rivals commitment levels. By contrasting his approach which has seen him never miss a race of Red Bull since the team was formed in 2005, it inevitably raises questions about why one team boss completes an entire season while another requires time off.

“You’ve got to be accessible,” says Horner. “I see my role as team principal and CEO. For 52 weeks of the year.

“I am CEO of a high performing technology business with Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Power Trains and Red Bull Advanced Technology. If I am not at the racetrack, I am in the factory from Monday to Friday. As team principal, I attend every single race. I have attended every Grand Prix Red Bull have competed in since 2005. 

“People need to see the boss. (Not attending a race) would be like Alex Ferguson not going to a football match.”

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Red Bull v Mercedes in 2024

Of course Christian Horner knows of Wolff’s comments to pairing back the number of races he attends and this is a direct response to his rivals apparent ‘weakness’.

Toto Wolff was back at the factory during the Japanese Grand Prix when a spat broke out between his drivers during the race over strategy. Russell believed the team was favouring Hamilton and called out his concerns over the radio.

Even though Toto was linked through comms, his absence from Suzuka and Qatar saw Mercedes’ drivers push hard against the team decisions inn a way had their boss been there, less fuss would have taken place.

Horner likes to cast himself as the racing professional and Toto was the Johnny come lately who inherited a Mercedes team ready to dominate the sport for years. This is just another round in the Red Bull – Mercedes ding dong rivalry which is set to continue as long as both TP’s run their respective teams.

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