In a sport where rivalries often boil over into warzones of words and politics, McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown has wasted no time expressing his relief at the recent leadership shake-up at Red Bull Racing.
Brown, never one to hold back, hailed Laurent Mekies’ arrival as team principal ot the Mitlon Keynes-based outfit as a “healthy” change – and couldn’t resist a pointed swipe at Christian Horner, the man the Frenchman replaced.
The message was loud, clear, and characteristically Brown: Formula 1 is better off without Horner.
Out with the Old, in with the Laurent
Brown, who’s had more public spats with Horner than podium finishes some seasons, has long been an outspoken critic of Red Bull’s former team principal. But this time, his tone suggested not just relief, but optimism.
“I’m happy Laurent’s in the role he is in,” Brown told The Telegraph. “I like Laurent, that’ll be healthy, and maybe we can get back to focusing on competition on the track.”
The McLaren boss confirmed he met privately with Mekies following his recent appointment, and while the details of their discussion remain under wraps, the tone of the meeting clearly left a positive impression.
“There’s always going to be some political aspects to the sport, but I think it is going to be healthier with Laurent. I’m a fan of Laurent, I have known him for a long time, and it’ll be good to go racing against him,” Brown added.
Horner Wars: Over and Out
For years, the Brown-Horner rivalry has been one of the sport’s most toxic subplots – rife with accusations, digs through the media, and under-the-table politicking. Now, with Horner out, Brown isn't hiding his sense of closure.
“It went too far. There’s always going to be politicking in F1 – let’s try and shut down their flexi-wings and that stuff, but when you start getting into frivolous allegations, that’s just going too far,” Brown reflected.
The American didn’t hold back in accusing Horner of crossing a line – a limit, he believes, no one else in the paddock has dared to approach since.
“If I look up and down pit lane now, I see us fighting each other hard politically, but the line is not being crossed, and that line got crossed before.”
He believes Mekies’ leadership can help rebuild a more collaborative environment among teams, even while the competitive fire still rages.
“I think that we’ll see a little bit of a change for the better,” he continued. “There’s a higher level of trust that now if we sit down and have a conversation on a topic where we think there could be some confidentiality, and it’s just not an automatic ‘I’m going to use that as a political weapon’.
“We’re going to be in a better place, a little bit more unified, and a little bit more trusting that while we’re fighting on track, we can have a conversation about what’s good for the sport off it.
“And that won’t get manipulated for political reasons and taken out of context.”
A New Culture of Respect?
Brown’s comments aren’t just a victory lap over Horner’s departure – they also offer a vision for a better F1. One based on fierce but respectful competition, not off-track mind games. He pointed to his relationship with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur as a model.
“I love the way we raced Ferrari. Fred kind of started it by celebrating our Miami win,” he said.
"I've known Fred a long time. He's a proper racer, and the way we went racing - make no mistake about it, we want to beat each other - but I enjoyed that. I thought that was really good for the sport.”
In fact, Brown believes respectful rivalries, not soap opera feuds, are what fans really want.
"From a fan's point of view, the drama of the villain stuff, I think works. But I also think the celebratory 'fight it out on track, but then kind of photobomb each other', which that all kind of just happened, that's really good.
"That's a more fun way to go racing, and can be just as entertaining as the good cop, bad cop thing."
So, while Christian Horner may no longer roam the paddock, his legacy still lingers in the scars of past rivalries. But if Zak Brown has his way, the next chapter of Formula 1 will be less about off-track drama—and more about pure racing.
At least, until someone else crosses the line.
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