McLaren chief not surprised by Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said the only surprise about Christian Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull Racing was the timing.

Horner was sacked from his position two weeks ago after 20 years running Red Bull’s Formula 1 team.

The news shocked the F1 world, but came after a period of declining results for Red Bull as McLaren has emerged as the dominant team in the sport this season, leading both the constructors’ and drivers’ standings.

When TSN asked Brown if he was surprised by the decision, he said: “Maybe the timing but not the result.

“There has been a lot of drama there over the last couple of years, so it doesn’t seem like that drama has been calming down — maybe it’s been getting worse.

“So, I’m not surprised, any time 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.”

Horner’s dismissal came one year on from the 51-year-old continuing in his role following an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations from a former Red Bull Racing employee.

Last year’s scandal exposed divisions within Red Bull, although the statement announcing Horner’s departure featured a quote from Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull CEO of corporate projects and new investments, thanking the former team boss.

Aside from leaked footage of his farewell speech to staff and a statement issued on social media, Horner has not commented on the news nor given any indication of what his future holds.

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Brown, who has a longstanding rivalry with the former Red Bull team boss, believes Horner will find a new role in F1 if he wants one.

“Given his age and his history in motor racing, I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up somewhere in motor racing,” Brown added.

“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.”