F1: Red Bull's Christian Horner praises Merc's Toto Wolff for openness on mental health issues

Red Bull Formula One boss Christian Horner has praised Mercedes rival Toto Wolff for speaking out about the mental health issues that have plagued him for more than a decade despite unprecedented success.

Wolff, an Austrian, told the Sunday Times that he had been seeing a psychiatrist since 2004 and had more than 500 hours of therapy.

"I have suffered mentally, I still do. Getting help is a way of overcoming my problems, and it has helped me to access untapped potential," said the man who has steered Mercedes to a record eight successive constructors' titles.

"I've never had any problem with the stigma. Some of the most successful people are very, very sensitive and very, very sensitive means very, very vulnerable."

READ | Toto Wolff regrets verbal spats with Red Bull's Christian Horner in 2021 F1 season

Horner told reporters at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix that it was an important topic.

"All credit to Toto for having the courage to talk out about his issues with mental health," he said.

"I think that it is something in this business that we are acutely aware of and something that we're looking to be pro-active on.

"I'm fortunate that I haven't had issues personally but I've had... friends that I know who have suffered as a result of mental health issues."

Wolff and Horner waged a season-long war of words last year as the battle between their teams raged and Mercedes' seven- times world champion Lewis Hamilton fought Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the title.

Verstappen won the final showdown, with Hamilton and Mercedes feeling robbed by a controversial late safety car decision made by now-departed race director Michael Masi.

Wolff called Horner a "windbag" during last season's verbal sparring and likened the Briton to a