According to F1 Oversteer, Mr Brundle said: "Quite a few years ago, Toto got quite sniffy with me because I was asked directly by Nico Rosberg who I thought was better, Christian Horner or Toto Wolff.

"At the time, Christian had bought Jaguar out of nowhere and won and then came back and got the momentum and won again.

"Toto sent me a text – it buzzed in my pocket as I said that – saying 'thanks' (sarcastically)."

Mr Brundle explained that he viewed Mr Wolff as having stepped into an already successful Mercedes operation.

He said: "I felt that he inherited something that was going really well at Mercedes-Benz.

"But my goodness, has he taken it places, and then he’s got it very much back on track and dominating again."

He also praised Mr Wolff’s business acumen, saying: "I think he’s monetised F1 better than anyone I’ve ever seen in 43 years."

Mr Horner has led Red Bull Racing since its inception in 2005, guiding the team to 14 world titles – eight drivers’ and six constructors’.

Toto Wolff (Image: David Davies / PA)

Mr Wolff has delivered nine constructors’ championships and nine drivers’ titles since taking over at Mercedes in 2013.

Before Mr Wolff’s arrival, Mercedes had only won a single race after re-entering F1 in 2010 by acquiring Brawn GP.

Under his leadership, the team became world champions by the end of 2014 for the first time since the 1950s and went on to secure eight consecutive constructors’ titles.

Mr Horner’s Red Bull Racing ended Mercedes’ dominance with the introduction of the ground-effect era.

Red Bull previously dominated the sport from 2010 to 2013 and reclaimed their superiority from 2021 to 2024.

Mr Brundle said: "Full respect to Toto.

"He’s a man who has a huge amount of respect in the paddock because he’s a straight talker and he delivers."

He noted that it remains to be seen whether Mr Wolff can establish a new era of dominance.

Mercedes recently clinched the 2026 constructors’ title at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, outscoring Ferrari by 14 points at Interlagos.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton placed seventh and ninth, respectively.

It marks Mercedes’ first constructors’ title since 2021, following a season in which they won 12 of 20 races and secured 24 podium finishes.