Toto Wolff ‘convinced’ that Christian Horner was to blame for one Max Verstappen crash with Lewis Hamilton

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Toto Wolff’s enduring interest in Max Verstappen is, in some respects, a surprise. Verstappen is arguably the greatest driver of his generation, with four titles in the bag already at 27.

But Verstappen has been involved in a series of controversial incidents with Wolff’s Mercedes team during his time at Red Bull, including two in the last two races.

Verstappen was penalised for causing a collision with George Russell at the Spanish GP, with some alleging that he initiated the contact on purpose and deserved to be disqualified.

Red Bull were the aggrieved team in Canada last weekend as they accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour in an FIA protest. They felt that Russell was trying to get Verstappen his 12th penalty point (meeting the race-ban threshold), by coaxing him to overtake under the safety car.

The hostility between the teams may never again reach 2021 levels, though. That year, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crashed three times as they fought for the title until the very last race.

Toto Wolff feels Christian Horner management leads to Max Verstappen ‘red mist’

Hamilton was deemed to be at fault after tangling with Verstappen on the first lap of the British Grand Prix, receiving a 10-second penalty. But a few races later at Monza, the stewards ruled against the Red Bull driver.

Verstappen opportunistically tried to pass Hamilton around the outside of the first chicane as the latter emerged from the pit lane. But there was insufficient room to complete the overtake, and he dramatically vaulted over the Mercedes, causing both drivers to retire.

The Dutchman picked up a three-place grid drop for the following race in Russia. According to The Athletic, Toto Wolff is ‘privately convinced’ that this ‘red mist’ moment came down to Christian Horner’s mismanagement.

Wolff feels that Horner’s approach is fundamentally flawed, and Verstappen would be calmer behind the wheel if he was in charge. The report also points to the recent Spanish GP and last year’s race in Hungary, where the world champion angrily clashed with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

How Toto Wolff would handle Silverstone 2021 crash differently if given another chance

Wolff has tried to repair his relationship with Verstappen in recent years. That’s because he dreams of bringing him to Brackley one day.

Reflecting on the aforementioned Copse incident in a podcast last year, Wolff said he should have called Jos Verstappen to check his opponent was okay. Red Bull were unhappy that Hamilton celebrated his eventual victory as normal with Verstappen undergoing checks in hospital.

Even the normally level-headed Adrian Newey was ‘incandescent’ with Hamilton. He saw it as a ‘deliberate professional foul’.

Signing Verstappen after such a bitter rivalry would not only be a driver market coup for Wolff; it would be a triumph in diplomacy.