Picture: Red Bull Christian Horner shares the image of his terrier on social media after his 'rather be a terrier than a wolf' remark to Toto Wolff
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner posted a picture of his pet terrier dog, Bernie Horner, after taking a jibe at Mercedes' Toto Wolff with a comment that he prefers being a terrier to a wolf. These actions were taken after Wolff labeled Horner as a 'yapping little terrier.'.
In the Qatar GP, Max Verstappen and George Russell were involved in a heated row. After the Red Bull star was given a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell, he was shocked at the manner in which Russell wanted another driver to be punished in the stewards room. The situation flared to a point where both drivers publicly admitted that they had lost respect for each other.
Christian Horner labeled Russell's antics as 'hysterics,' and Toto Wolff responded to this by saying that the Austrian team's boss was a 'yapping little terrier.'.
Speaking in a press conference before the 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Horner was asked about Wolff's comments, to which he humorously talked about how he loves terrier breeds and has a few of his own. He then concluded with a jibe at the Mercedes honcho, saying that he would rather be a terrier than a wolf.
"Well, look, I love terriers. I think they're great dogs. And I've had four of them. I had a couple of Airedales, which are the king of the terriers. I had a couple of West Highland terriers, called Bernie and Flavio. And the good thing about a terrier is they're tremendously loyal," Horner said.
"I mean, Bernie, he was an aggressive little dog. He'd go for anybody. And Flavio, he was a bit more chilled out. He probably ate a bit too much as well. But look, I think to be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing? They're not afraid of having to go at the bigger dogs? I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf, maybe," he added.
After this comment, the Red Bull team boss posted a picture of his pet terrier dog named Bernie Horner on his official Instagram stories. The dog was white in color and had a red collar tag that said its name. This was a further jibe at his long-time team principal rival.
Toto Wolff's 'terrier' comment triggered Red Bull team boss to respond
After Christian Horner criticized George Russell's actions and labeled them 'hysterical', Toto Wolff responded. Speaking to the media, the Mercedes leader questioned why Horner feels he could comment on his drivers. He added that Horner could have mulled over the situation for a few seconds. Finally, he labeled the Red Bull honcho as a 'yapping little terrier.
“Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver? If you're thinking about it and spent 90 seconds to think about it…yapping little terrier. Always something to say.,” Wolff said (via Sky Sports)
Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have been in back-and-forth fights for many years now, most notably in the 2021 F1 season, when Mercedes and Red Bull locked horns for the drivers' and constructors' titles. They have had a war of words on several occasions and have even called each other names.