Zak Brown Breaks Silence on ‘Unsurprising’ Sacking of Christian Horner from Red Bull

Zak Brown reckons that Christian Horner's sudden departure from Red Bull wasn't much of a surprise due to the ongoing drama within the F1 team.

Zak Brown Breaks Silence on ‘Unsurprising’ Sacking of Christian Horner from Red Bull

Christian Horner and Zak Brown (via Red Bull)

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Christian Horner was unexpectedly sacked from Red Bull mid-way through the 2025 season. The Briton led the Austrian constructor for over two decades, but was released from the squad with immediate effect. Now, as Milton Keynes hopes to recover from the desperate performance slump, McLaren Racing’s CEO Zak Brown shares his opinion on Horner’s axe from the team, which didn’t come as much of a surprise.

Max Verstappen and his management were already rumored to want Christian Horner fired from Red Bull in order to make the former reconsider his stay with the team. Now with Horner gone, Verstappen’s persistent rumors of joining Mercedes might calm down. Zak Brown, who remained a critical voice about the movements within Milton Keynes, has once again spoken on the 51-year-old’s sudden firing.

Zak Brown took a dig at Christian Horner and his recent troublesome time at Red Bull. Brown didn’t hesitate to fire shots at Horner for the problematic state he left the team in. The Briton pointed out that the timing of the decision was rather unconventional. However, the decision to kick the 51-year-old wasn’t completely unexpected.

Maybe the timing [was surprising], but not the result.

Zak Brown said on the Canadian TV channel TSN

Zak Brown revealed that there was a lot of drama ongoing at Red Bull, which contributed to Christian Horner’s sudden departure. Brown believes that the drama isn’t going to calm down anytime soon, and maybe even get worse. As such, the Englishman insisted that Horner’s exit wasn’t surprising to him, as it could have happened anytime in the middle of the season.

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.

Zak Brown added

Zak Brown jokes about Christian Horner’s future plans involving football

Christian Horner hasn’t formally spoken up on his future plans after his unexpected departure from Formula 1. While there are rumors linking Horner to rival teams such as Alpine and Ferrari, there is nothing concrete yet. As such, Zak Brown weighed in on what the 51-year-old could do in the coming future now that he could put the pinnacle of motorsport behind him.

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (via Total Motorsport)

Zak Brown pointed out that he wasn’t aware of Christian Horner and his interests apart from Formula 1. Brown questioned if Horner would go on to potentially lead a football team or something. However, given the 51-year-old’s age and experience in the sport, it wouldn’t be surprising to witness him return to a similar or more prominent role within F1.

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. I don’t know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. We’ll see.

Zak Brown noted

Red Bull will have to work hard to get out of the performance slump they are in currently. With Christian Horner gone, it could be very hard to bounce back from the troubles. However, Max Verstappen isn’t going to give up anytime soon, as he seems to be interested in ending his career at Milton Keynes and staying true to the Austrian squad. Now, time will tell if the team returns back to their winning ways under the newly appointed leadership.

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