Formula 1: David Croft reveals reason behind Christian Horner's beef with Toto Wolff

The war of words between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff has intensified in recent weeks with the former advising the Mercedes boss to fix issues plaguing his team instead of trying to poach Max Verstappen. Speaking on the developments, F1 commentator David Croft said the animosity from Horner's side towards Mercedes stems from wanting the "control" and "power" that Wolff has.

Croft, known for speaking his mind, said the back-and-forth between Horner and Wolff would continueas long as both are on the circuit.

"I think Christian and Toto will carry on the war of words for their entirety of their time in Formula 1,”said Croft.

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“It will just carry on. They’ve got a history, they’ve got a present and I think they’ve got a future when it comes to not agreeing with certain things."

The Briton pointed out that Wolff being the owner of an F1 team was perhaps the reason Horner envied him.

“The one thing that I think is always going to wind Christian up a little bit as well is that for all the success at Red Bull, for all the titles, the trophies, the race wins that they’re enjoying at the moment, Toto Wolff is a co-owner of a Formula 1 team and Christian Horner isn’t," he added.

Horner beefs with Wolff

After Verstappen won the Chinese Grand Prix, Horner hit back at Wolff for trying to persuade Verstappen to join the German outfit.

“Why would you want to leave this team [Red Bull]? I don’t think Toto’s problems are his drivers. He has other elements he needs to focus on, rather than focusing on drivers that are unavailable. Mercedes are behind their customer teams at the moment," saidHorner.

"Today we moved ahead of Mercedes in terms of races won in the modern era. So, the team is in form. Why on earth would you want to leave?," he added.

Wolff has made it clear on multiple occasions that he would love to sign Verstappenif he decides to leave Red Bull, come the next season.

“We have a slot free, the only one in the top teams, unless Max decides he goes, then the slot is not going to be free with us anymore. There are a few options that are really interesting for us, from the very young super-talent to some of the older ones who are very experienced," saidWolff.

Despite signing a long-time contract with Red Bull, Verstappen has remained somewhat hesitant about his future with the team after allegations of improper conduct surfaced against Horner, earlier this year.

(With inputs from agencies)