{"id":277673,"date":"2025-07-20T15:22:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/277673\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T15:22:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:22:14","slug":"brown-not-surprised-by-horners-red-bull-f1-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/277673\/","title":{"rendered":"Brown “not surprised” by Horner’s Red Bull F1 exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

McLaren<\/a> Racing CEO Zak Brown was \u201cnot surprised\u201d by Christian Horner\u2019s Red Bull Formula 1 departure – but was a little thrown off by the timing.<\/p>\n

Just three days after the British Grand Prix on 9 July, Red Bull announced the removal of Horner as CEO and team principal<\/a>, roles he\u2019d held since the team\u2019s F1 debut in 2005.<\/p>\n

It came 12 rounds into the 2025 campaign with Laurent Mekies, the now former boss of sister squad Racing Bulls, replacing Horner.<\/p>\n

He appears to have paid the price for Red Bull\u2019s performance decline, having dominated the 2023 season before finishing third last year with the Austrian squad currently fourth in 2025.<\/p>\n

But it also came 17 months after Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour following allegations made by a female Red Bull employee<\/a> – which at the time, threw his future into serious question.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That also came amid a power struggle at the parent Red Bull company following the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz<\/a> and such internal politics may have contributed to Horner\u2019s exit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked by TSN if he was surprised by the departure, Brown said: \u201cMaybe the timing, but not the result. 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.<\/p>\n

\"Christian <\/p>\n

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool<\/p>\n

“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\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horner is yet to announce his next move, but Brown reckons the 51-year-old will remain involved with motorsport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven his age and his history in motor racing, I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up somewhere in motor racing,” Brown added.<\/p>\n

“But I don’t know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. So, we’ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s McLaren outfit ended Red Bull\u2019s dominance by taking the 2024 F1 constructors\u2019 title and it is well on course to defend its championship this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McLaren should also have its first drivers\u2019 champion since Lewis Hamilton<\/a> in 2008, as Oscar Piastri<\/a> and Lando Norris<\/a> are involved in a tight title battle this season.<\/p>\n

\"Lando <\/p>\n

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sam Bagnall \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The British marque is involved in other motorsport series as well like IndyCar, while\u00a0McLaren is also set for a Le Mans return in 2027 which will include a World Endurance Championship campaign<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, when asked about McLaren\u2019s targets in the same interview with TSN, Brown said there is still a lot more to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re on our way,\u201d said Brown, who became McLaren Racing CEO in 2018. \u201cI feel like we are hitting our goals, but our ultimate goal is to win the Indy 500, win the IndyCar championship, win the Formula 1 constructors\u2019 championship, win the Formula 1 drivers\u2019 championship, and win Le Mans and win the World Endurance Championship – and then to do it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve only been able to do one of those so far, which is the constructors\u2019 championship. But in all seriousness, I feel like we\u2019re well on our way. But a lot of unfinished business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

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