McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes Christian Horner was bound to see the exit door with Red Bull’s Formula 1 situation “getting worse” in the last couple of years.
Horner was shockingly axed by the Milton Keynes-based squad earlier this month, with ex-Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies being named his replacement.
The 51-year-old had been instrumental in Red Bull’s multiple championship successes and had been at the helm since the team’s inception back in 2005.
That said, with the team’s dwindling performances since midway through last season and tension behind the scenes, the board decided to part ways with the Briton.
With Chalerm Yoovidhya, the son of Red Bull’s co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, giving up the family’s majority stake in Red Bull GmbH recently, Horner was operating on borrowed time.
Rival boss Brown, who hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Horner, said that his sacking was only a matter of time.
“Maybe the timing, but not the result,” he told TSN when asked if he was caught out by Red Bull’s decision to fire Horner with immediate effect.
“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 even been getting worse.
“So, I’m not surprised, anytime in the middle of the season.”
Brown lost on Horner’s F1 options
Ever since the news broke out that Horner had been relieved of his duties as Team Principal and CEO at Red Bull, rumours started flooding in about his next destination.
The Briton is being linked with a move to either Ferrari or Alpine, but Brown doesn’t have any insights to offer on Horner’s future.
“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,” Brown added.
“But I don’t know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. We’ll see.”
Instead, having sealed the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, the former American sponsorship mogul wants to focus on wrapping up both titles this year with McLaren.
“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,” he concluded.
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