Toto Wolff has hit back at Christian Horner’s claim that Red Bull have poached 220 people from Mercedes’ F1 engine department.

Horner🌠 caused a stir in Miami with a claim that Red Bull Powertrains have signed over 200 of Mercedes’ staff.

The Red Bull boss said: “Mercedes, we’ve taken 220💜 people, 220, out of HPP into Red Bull Powertrains so when we talk about losing people I would be more worried about the 220 than one or two CVs.”

Horner’s 💞response stemmed from Zak Brown’s claim that Adrian Newey’s exit would be the first “domino” to fall in terms of Red Bull exits.

Speakin𒊎g after this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Wolff was asked about Horner’s remarkable claim.

With regards to the 220 figure, Wolff sai🍃d: “You’ve got to wไork on the maths. 19 engineers.

“And so, you know, whatever those numbers are, I think t✅here is a natural fluctuation between teams that com💫e and go, which is completely normal. 

“We have an engine department t❀hat is as good as it can be, with a top leadership., there is not a millimetre in HPP that should be different in terms of organisational set-up, in terms of the people that works there that I’m lucky to interact with, it’s a perfect organisation.”

All manufacturers are gಌearing up to the 2026 r🉐egulations where new engine rules are introduced.

2026 will also see Red Bull build their own power unit for the first time✨, ওhence their heavy recruitment drive.

Merc💖edes famously nailed the new engine rules in 2014, building the foundations for their years of dominance.

Wolff remains convinced Mercedes are still “the benchmark” when it c𓃲omes to engines 💦in F1.

“They have delivered for  a long time, since 2014 we have been the benchmark, with maybe another engine the benchmark, that hasn’t chang🀅ed.I really can't wait for 2026 to come and see the different levels of performance of the power unit,” he added.