How Wolff and Horner have cemented status as F1's elite

Guenther Steiner's shock split from Haas last week has leftChristian Horner and Toto Wolff well clear as the longest-servingTeam Principals currently in F1. The Red Bull and Mercedes bosseshave amassed 29 seasons at the helm between them in a time ofturbulence for those at the top of outfits across the grid. So howhave the duo, who have been in conflict in recent years,established themselves as F1's elite? Christian Horner Horner isthe longest-serving Team Principal currently in F1 having been incharge at Red Bull since the team entered the sport for the 2005season. Since then, the Briton has helped form an empire which hasseen the team flourish into a regular front-runner - a dominantforce in recent years - with a second team on the grid in the formof AlphaTauri [new name yet to be announced] and the biggest driveracademy in motorsport. Horner was instrumental in acquiring designguru Adrian Newey's services and had worked hand-in-hand withMotorsport Advisor Helmut Marko in delivering the Red Bull brand tosuccess. Seven drivers' titles in 19 seasons is an astonishinghit-rate for any outfit entering F1, let alone a non-OEM having totake on an engine supply from a rival on the grid. Astate-of-the-art engineering campus in Milton Keynes has recentlywelcomed a new powertrains facility as the team embarks on anambitious engine development project in conjunction with Ford, withHorner the driving force behind the initiative. Red Bull'spowerhouse status, whilst obviously partially attributable to lateowner Dietrich Mateschitz, is a huge string to Horner's bow and isa huge part of why he has established a strong political stancewithin the paddock. His answers when facing the media are alwaysvery thought through, concisely put and often piercing - a fineexample of which was his response to the 2021 budget cap breachfallout two years ago. The way Horner was able to handle consistentmedia pressure and take all that on his shoulders to enable thatseason's on-track success to still shine through was a masterclassin leadership. It is hard to see a split between the two parties atall, despite rumours in recent years of talks with Ferrari. TotoWolff Wolff had joined Mercedes ahead of his tenure as TeamPrincipal and CEO but he took over the reigns from Ross Brawn forthe 2014 season. The Silver Arrows' hit rate in the past 10 seasonswith Wolff at the helm has been nothing short of spectacular withseven Drivers' titles [six for Lewis Hamilton, one for NicoRosberg] and eight Constructors' titles in that period. What Wolffhas established is a winning culture at the Brackley-based outfit,with a well-documented no-blame system for when things go wrong -each individual's voice is willing to be heard. Whilst only one winhas been picked up in the past two seasons, Wolff has been vocal inencouraging growth from the rest of the team and has been pivotalin keeping Hamilton a part of the team, including the variousinitiatives aimed at tackling the societal issues close to theBriton's heart. Wolff's longevity means, like Horner, he hasestablished himself as a leading voice when it comes to politicalmatters in the sport, though the pair often butt heads whendiscussing sensitive topics: The Canadian Grand Prix TeamPrincipals' meeting covered in Netflix's Drive to Survive a case inpoint. There have been rumours in recent years that Wolff wouldrelinquish control whilst still at the top, something he hashimself alluded to, but there is no suggestion that any change willcome in the near future. Both Horner and Wolff have set themselvesas the benchmark when it comes to leading a team in F1. Any TeamPrincipal that can come even halfway to the impacts they have hadon their respective teams can be seen as being successful.