The McLaren main Zak Brown has claimed Formula One enjoys a “healthier” ambiance aft nan departure of Christian Horner and accused nan erstwhile Red Bull squad main of “crossing nan line”.
Horner was released from his position aft nan British GP past period aft 20 years successful complaint astatine Red Bull aft a long-running powerfulness struggle betwixt nan squad main and nan genitor institution Red Bull GmbH.
The past 18 months of his reign were overshadowed by an accusation from a female workfellow of “coercive behaviour”. Horner ever denied nan declare and was doubly exonerated.
Horner was replaced by nan Racing Bulls principal, Laurent Mekies, which Brown welcomed, and revealed he had met nan caller man up of Sunday’s Hungary race.
“I’m happy Laurent’s successful nan domiciled he is in,” said Brown. “I for illustration Laurent, that’ll beryllium healthy, and possibly we tin get backmost to focusing connected title connected nan track.
“There’s ever going to beryllium immoderate governmental aspects to nan sport, but I deliberation it is going to beryllium healthier pinch Laurent. I’m a instrumentality of Laurent, I person known him for a agelong time, and it’ll beryllium bully to spell racing against him.”
Brown and Horner had many times locked horns successful caller years, not slightest earlier this play erstwhile Brown was intelligibly disappointment astatine what he believed were erroneous suggestions astir nan legality of nan McLaren car, which he felt had been unacceptable behaviour from Horner.
“It went excessively far,” said Brown. “There’s ever going to beryllium politicking successful F1; let’s effort and unopen down their flexi-wings and that stuff, but erstwhile you commencement getting into frivolous allegations, that’s conscionable going excessively far.
“If I look up and down pit lane now, I spot america fighting each different difficult politically, but nan statement is not being crossed, and that statement sewage crossed before. So I deliberation that we’ll spot a small spot of a alteration for nan better.
“There’s a higher level of spot that now if we beryllium down and person a speech connected a taxable wherever we deliberation location could beryllium immoderate confidentiality, and it’s conscionable not an automatic: ‘I’m going to usage that arsenic a governmental weapon’.
“We’re going to beryllium successful a amended place, a small spot much unified, and a small spot much trusting that while we’re fighting connected track, we tin person a speech astir what’s bully for nan athletics disconnected it. And that won’t get manipulated for governmental reasons and taken retired of context.”