Zak Brown Reacts to Christian Horner’s F1 Exit Amid Red Bull Shake-Up

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has shared his candid thoughts following the high-profile departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull Racing, stating he was “not surprised” by the move — though the timing did catch him off guard.

The announcement came just three days after the British Grand Prix on July 9, ending Horner’s 20-year reign as Red Bull’s team principal and CEO — roles he had held since the team entered Formula 1 in 2005. The team confirmed that Laurent Mekies, formerly of sister team Racing Bulls, would take over leadership duties.

Behind the exit: performance dip and internal tension

Horner’s removal followed a sharp decline in Red Bull’s form. After dominating the 2023 season, the Milton Keynes-based team fell to third place in 2024 and now sit fourth in the current 2025 standings. The exit also comes 17 months after Horner was cleared of misconduct allegations, which had raised questions about his long-term future at the team.

Insiders suggest that his departure may have also been influenced by an ongoing power struggle within Red Bull GmbH, intensified since the passing of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022.

Brown acknowledged the complexity of the situation, telling TSN:

“Maybe the timing, but not the result. 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 getting worse.”

Brown focused on McLaren’s resurgence

While Red Bull deals with leadership change, McLaren has enjoyed a major resurgence under Brown’s leadership. The team ended Red Bull’s streak by winning the 2024 Constructors’ Championship and is now in a strong position to defend the title in 2025. Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are locked in a close fight for what could be McLaren’s first drivers’ crown since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Brown praised Red Bull’s past success but remained focused on his team’s current goals:

“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.”

What’s next for Christian Horner?

As for Horner, his future remains unclear. Though he has not yet announced any plans, Brown suspects he won’t be away from racing for long.

“Given his age and history in motorsport, I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up somewhere,” Brown said. “But I don’t know his other interests. Maybe he wants to run a football team — we’ll see.”

McLaren’s multi-series ambitions

Beyond Formula 1, Brown reaffirmed McLaren’s ambitious plans across global motorsport. The team is targeting success in IndyCar, a return to Le Mans in 2027, and a full campaign in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

“Our ultimate goal is to win the Indy 500, the IndyCar Championship, both F1 titles, and Le Mans — and then do it again,” Brown said. “We’re on our way, but there’s still unfinished business.”