McLaren CEO Zak Brown has openly criticized Christian Horner, claiming the former Red Bull team principal was repeatedly unfair towards his rivals. The 2025 Formula 1 season could go down in history as the year McLaren had a real chance to win the Drivers’ Championship for the first time since 2008, a period when F1 was still dominated by the Silver Arrows and Ferrari. Back then, Mercedes was only an engine supplier and Red Bull was not yet a competitive team, but the landscape changed in 2009 when new regulations favored the rise of Milton Keynes’ squad and Brawn GP, which later became Mercedes.
Over the past 15 seasons, Mercedes and Red Bull have largely shared the spoils, but in 2025 McLaren emerged as a “third force” capable of challenging for the championship, having already won the Constructors’ title last year. This came in the same year Christian Horner was dismissed from Red Bull following off-track controversies and a decline in results. Zak Brown, who has witnessed Christian Horner celebrating victories over the years, could not “get revenge” on track, but he did not hold back his criticism of the former friend, describing Christian Horner as someone transformed by fame and the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Zak Brown speaks out
“I have known Christian for over 30 years, and his results are incredible. Hats off to him for that. We got along well too, but he has changed. I think the fame from Drive to Survive, the money, the glory – it became a bit too much for him,” Zak Brown told The Telegraph.
He added: “Sometimes Horner doesn’t play fair. When I raced, there were drivers who would push you off track with two wheels, and that was fine by me; others would push you completely off with all four wheels, and I don’t accept that. I’m someone who pushes others just enough to get two wheels off the track – Christian is someone who throws you completely out.”
Brown provided a specific example: “He accused my team just to try and disturb us, because I can’t imagine he actually believed it (referring to the water-in-tyres incident at Interlagos in 2024). Regardless of legality, everyone in this sport knows that you wouldn’t do it for technical reasons.”
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