McLaren chief Zak Brown has admitted he is ‘not surprised’ by Christian Horner’s Red Bull sacking as he offered a theory on his rival’s dismissal
Zak Brown addressed Christian Horner’s sacking
McLaren chief Zak Brown has admitted he is “not surprised” by Christian Horner’s Red Bull sacking.
Horner was dismissed as Red Bull’s team principal and CEO earlier this month after 20 years in charge of the team. The 51-year-old had been at the helm of Red Bull’s F1 team since their introduction to the grid.
But poor performances on track and behind-the-scenes drama that played out for the world to see appeared to have piled too much pressure on Horner.
Horner and Brown have been fierce adversaries over the past two years since McLaren reemerged at the front of the F1 grid and wrestled Red Bull’s dominance away from them by winning the Constructors Championship last year.
Speaking on Canadian television channel TSN, Brown said on Horner’s sacking: “I’m maybe [surprised by] the timing, but not the result.
McLaren wrestled away Red Bull’s dominance
“I think there’s been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn’t seem like that drama has been calming down – maybe been getting worse.
“So, I’m not surprised, anytime in the middle of the season. But we’re head down on our championship. They’ve got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we’ve got to pay attention to that. But, yeah, tremendous amount of success they’ve had.”
Brown suggested that given Horner’s age and success in F1, he could return in a leading role at another team on the grid.
He added: “I think given his age and his history in motor racing, I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up somewhere in motor racing.
“But I don’t know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. We’ll see.”
Christian Horner was let go by Red Bull(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
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Horner’s dismissal has been linked to the future of Max Verstappen as speculation mounts over the four-time world champion making a blockbuster move to Mercedes amid Red Bull’s struggles.
Brown addressed the speculation but distanced himself from getting involved in any saga concerning Verstappen’s availability. He said: “(I) couldn’t be happier with Oscar and Lando.
“So, sure to be the interested spectator. I’m very happy with my driver line-up. So, I don’t want to spend any time on other than what pops up on my phone.”
Former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has been promoted into the Red Bull hot seat ahead of the Belgium Grand Prix this weekend.