REPORT: Toto Wolff met Cristian Horner after being questioned by the Mercedes team over the Max Verstappen swap.

Tensions between two of Formula One’s most successful teams, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, reached a boiling point when Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reportedly met with Christian Horner in private after the latter’s team confirmed the signing of George Russell.

Wolff was said to be incensed at the prospect of losing one of the team’s brightest young stars to their arch-rivals, and reportedly sought an explanation from Horner as to how the deal was made.

“Toto was not happy,” a source within Mercedes told reporters.

While the specifics of their meeting are unknown, it is understood that Wolff questioned Horner about the tactics used to entice Russell away from Mercedes, with some speculating that the move involved an unofficial exchange of drivers between the two teams.

If genuine, the trade between Russell and Max Verstappen would be a startling event in Formula One, as such transfers are extremely rare and have enormous ramifications for the sport’s landscape.

Despite the potential fallout of the reported exchange, both teams have remained tight-lipped about the situation, refusing to comment on the rumors and instead focusing on preparing for the upcoming season.

However, the incident is likely to add fuel to the already fierce rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull, which has been intensifying in recent years as both teams vie for dominance in the sport.

“There is a lot of bad blood between these two teams,” said one F1 insider. “This latest incident is just going to make things even more intense.”

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