Horner taunts Wolff by revealing shock number of staff poached from Mercedes

Christian Horner has hit back at Zak Brown and Toto Wolff after the pair told media including RacingNews365 they had both seen an uptick in the number of Red Bull employees sending CVs to their respective teams.

The Red Bull team principal in particular took exception to Wolff's comments, choosing to respond directly with the number of staff Red Bull has taken from Mercedes in advance of it launching its first power unit in 2026.

It started when the McLaren Racing CEO took a couple of jabs at Horner at the Miami Grand Prix, saying there were "resumes flying around" and that he had seen an increase in the number of CVs coming from the team. The Mercedes boss concurred, adding: "Zak is absolutely correct, we are seeing Red Bull CVs through all the levels."

However, Horner has argued that the CVs are not flying one-way. Further still, the 50-year-old then went on to reveal the specific number of staff Red Bull has recruited from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP).

"I don't know how many people we've employed from McLaren this year, or how many people [RB] has employed, but from Mercedes, we've taken 220 people out of HPP into Red Bull Powertrains," he said when asked by RacingNews365 for his response to the remarks made by Brown and Wolff.

"So when we're talking of losing people, I'd be a bit more worried about the 220 people than one or two CVs."

'I'm not going to get sucked into a tit for tat'

The subject was amplified over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, in the aftermath of Adrian Newey's surprise departure from Red Bull after almost two decades with the team. Whilst the 65-year-old will remain put until early 2025, he will no longer working on its F1 development.

It also provoked speculation that it could trigger a mass exodus from the team, with the uncertainty him leaving might bring.

However, to Horner, it is not a cause for concern, with him highlighting there is always going to be people moving across the paddock. He was also not surprised by the tactics employed by Brown and Wolff.

"I think it's inevitable, I think the two [team bosses] involved, they talk a lot. And I'm not going to get sucked into a tit for tat," he said, before taking a shot back at the Mercedes team principal.

"But I'd be more focused on Toto's own issues that he has, and I don't have any concern with the strength and depth [of Red Bull], there's always going to be movement between teams.