Brown 'not Surprised' By Horner's Red Bull Sacking

McLaren Racing main executive serviceman Zak Brown says he was "not surprised" Christian Horner was sacked arsenic squad leader of Red Bull.

Horner was dismissed arsenic squad principal and CEO of Red Bull connected 9 July, 3 days aft their driver Max Verstappen vanished 5th successful nan British Grand Prix.

Brown told Canadian tv transmission TSN: "I'm possibly [surprised by] nan timing, but not nan result.

"There's been a batch of play location nan past mates of years and it doesn't look for illustration that play has been calming down - possibly been getting worse. So I'm not surprised."

Red Bull has fixed nary logic for nan removal of Horner, who has been replaced by Frenchman Laurent Mekies, formerly nan main of 2nd squad Racing Bulls.

Horner had led nan squad since their debut successful 2005. His departure came 17 months aft it emerged that a female worker had accused him of intersexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour. Two abstracted Red Bull soul investigations dismissed nan allegations, which Horner has ever denied.

Since then, Red Bull person gone done a tempestuous period, including a diminution successful their competitiveness.

Their main method serviceman Adrian Newey resigned successful April past year, astatine slightest partially arsenic a consequence of nan allegations against Horner. Newey - regarded arsenic nan top F1 designer successful history - now useful for Aston Martin.

In July past year, long-time sporting head Jonathan Wheatley besides resigned. He is now squad main of Sauber, which adjacent twelvemonth is morphing into Audi's mill team.

And successful September Red Bull caput of strategy Will Courtenay signed for McLaren. He is presently being held to his statement and is expected to subordinate his caller squad astatine immoderate constituent adjacent year.

While Verstappen won his 4th consecutive world title past season, nan Dutchman won only doubly successful nan last 13 races of nan twelvemonth and Red Bull vanished 3rd successful nan constructors' championship.

This year, Verstappen is 3rd successful nan drivers' title pinch conscionable 2 wins successful nan first 12 races and nan squad 4th successful nan constructors' championship, and Red Bull person been engulfed by speculation astir whether nan Dutchman mightiness time off for Mercedes astatine nan extremity of nan season.

Brown has had a strained narration pinch Horner complete nan past fewer years.

He said Red Bull's breaching of nan fund headdress successful 2021 "constitutes cheating", and successful an question and reply pinch BBC Sport past summertime Brown said he and Horner "used to get on".

Brown has taken a little provocative attack to Horner this year, but has not hidden his disdain for Red Bull's sniping astir nan legality of nan McLaren car down nan scenes.

At nan Miami Grand Prix, he drank from a vessel labelled "tyre water", a reference to Horner complaining to nan FIA astir their belief that McLaren were utilizing h2o to cool their tyres. Brown considered nan allegation spurious, and said it had nary instauration successful reality.

He described nan vessel arsenic "poking nosy astatine a superior issue".

Brown said: "Teams person historically made allegations of different teams - astir precocious 1 squad focuses connected that strategy much than others. And I deliberation that location is simply a due measurement to protestation a squad astatine nan extremity of a race, and you person to make it formal, disclose wherever it comes from, put immoderate money down."