After the first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season, one thing is different at Red Bull: Christian Horner is no longer team leader, as the racing team of the energy drink manufacturer confirmed after the Grand Prix of Great Britain.
McLaren boss Zak Brown therefore does not fall out of all clouds: “Maybe timing is a surprise, but not the result,” said Brown in an interview with “TSN”.
That sounds like Brown has already seen such a step on the part of Red Bull. Because from the outside he had perceived “a lot of drama” at Red Bull in recent years. “And it doesn’t seem as if it calm down. Maybe it got worse,” says Brown.
He does not say it, but probably means the internal friction after the death of Red Bull-Boss Dietrich Mateschitz, the Horner affair before the start of the season 2024 as well as the many personnel departures of the youngest months-including Formula 1 star designer Adrian Newey, Red Bull left Red Bull towards Aston Martin.
According to Brown, it is the sum of these developments that the Horner-Aus could have favored: “That’s why I am not surprised, even if it happens in the middle of the season.”
Why does McLaren Red Bull not write off
But that does not mean that Red Bull as a racing team should be written off, Brown continues. “You still have Max Verstappen, who knocks on the door, so we have to keep an eye on it and continue to concentrate fully on our own championship.”
But does Brown see his former rival Horner working in Formula 1 sooner or later? He says: “Given his age and motorsport career, I would surprise me if he didn’t reappear somewhere in racing.”
“But I don’t know his other interests. Maybe he wants to lead a team of football or whatever. We’ll see.”
The 51-year-old Horner was appointed team leader at the Formula 1 entry by Red Bull for the 2005 season and was the latest Formula 1 team boss of his time at the age of 31. Under Horner’s direction, Red Bull developed from the fellow runner to the top team: With Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen, the racing team from Milton Keynes won the World Cup four times in England.