Toto Wolff explains why he didn't join in as 'great' F1 fans booed Christian Horner

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed he didn't join in with the booing of Red Bull chief Christian Horner at the F1 launch because "there were 15,000 people doing that".

There was controversy at the season launch event featuring all ten Formula One teams in London after Horner received jeers from the crowd, with claims that Max Verstappen was targeted too.

The event saw all ten liveries revealed as anticipation builds ahead of the F1 75 season, which starts on March 16 in Melbourne, before Red Bull duo Horner and Verstappen appeared to be booed.

Wolff has had a tense relationship with his rival Horner amid Mercedes' numerous title battles with Red Bull and Verstappen.

Last year, Horner criticised Mercedes driver George Russell for being "hysterical" at the Qatar Grand Prix after Verstappen was handed a one-place penalty on the grid for blocking the Brit in qualifying.

Wolff hit back by declaring his rival "a yapping little terrier", as Horner replied that he would "rather be a terrier than a wolf".

Wolff was this week asked about the booing of Horner and whether he joined in, as he told Sky Sports F1: "No, I wasn’t booing. There was 15,000 people that did that! It wasn’t necessary that I did."

Horner went on to deny that Verstappen was being booed as he defended the "great" spectators at the event.

"I don’t think he [Verstappen] got booed exactly, there was plenty of cheers I heard for him as well. I think, as you say, I don’t think that Max was booed.

"And we shouldn’t talk an event down that was mega just because one single individual, rightly or wrongly, was booed when he spoke,” Wolff continued.

"It was a great event. I mean, the spectators there were great. The presentation of the cars was good. And it sets a new format for the years to come and that is the positive we need to take from that."