McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown stated he was “not surprised” by the recent dismissal of Christian Horner as Team Principal and CEO of Red Bull, a move that followed a period of escalating internal drama and declining performance for the Formula 1 giant.
Horner’s departure on July 9, shortly after Max Verstappen’s fifth-place finish at the British Grand Prix, marks a significant shift in the F1 landscape.
“I’m maybe [surprised by] the timing, but not the result,” Brown told Canadian television channel TSN. “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.”
Red Bull has not publicly disclosed the reasons for Horner’s removal, who led the team since 2005, securing multiple championships.
He has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, formerly of Racing Bulls. Horner’s exit comes 17 months after allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behavior against him, which he consistently denied and Red Bull internal investigations dismissed.
Horner’s departure follows a string of high-profile exits from Red Bull, including chief technical officer Adrian Newey (now with Aston Martin) in April last year, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley (now with Sauber) in July last year, and head of strategy Will Courtenay, who is set to join McLaren.
This internal instability has coincided with Red Bull’s struggles on the track. Despite Max Verstappen winning his fourth consecutive world title last season, he only secured two wins in the final 13 races, and the team finished third in the constructors’ championship.
This year, Red Bull is currently fourth in the constructors’ championship, with Verstappen third in the drivers’ standings and only two wins in 12 races, fueling speculation about his potential departure for Mercedes.
Brown’s relationship with Horner has been notoriously strained, marked by past accusations of Red Bull “cheating” over budget cap breaches.
While less overtly confrontational this year, Brown has subtly jabbed at Red Bull, notably by drinking from a “tyre water” bottle at the Miami Grand Prix – a direct response to Horner’s “spurious” allegations that McLaren was illegally cooling their tires.
