McLaren CEO Zak Brown secretly hopes that former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner will still return to Formula 1. The Briton had to make way for Laurent Mekies after his home race in 2025. Although according to Brown this has made the premier class ‘friendlier’, he does miss his old rival: ‘Red Bull has made us a better racing team’, Brown even states.
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Christian Horner has been gone as Red Bull team principal since last July, but the Briton is still a popular topic of conversation in the paddock. Rumors about whether the former team principal will make a return, and with which team, are still circulating. McLaren CEO Zak Brown was one of Horner’s biggest rivals during his final years at Red Bull, and secretly hopes for a return of the former team principal.
“I think Christian will return,” Brown says on the MP Pod. “I don’t think Helmut (Marko, ed.) is coming back, but I could be wrong.” The former Red Bull advisor left the Formula 1 team last December. “I do think Christian is coming back. He will be seen in the episodes (of Netflix series Drive To Survive, ed.) this year, so I think we will definitely have a good Netflix show.”
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According to Brown, Formula 1 has certainly changed since Horner’s departure. “The pit lane is friendlier, but that is probably temporary,” the American CEO predicts. “If you look at the history of Formula 1 and the people in the sport, no one needs to worry about it all becoming very boring. That is not part of the culture of the sport.”
‘Red Bull has made us a better team’
Despite Brown occasionally having a war of words with the former team principal – the CEO assured last year that the ‘hostility’ between himself and Horner is real – he is still grateful for the rivalry with Horner. “Red Bull has made us a better racing team,” Brown even states. “I love the rivalry. We have different types of rivalries. I get along well with Fred Vasseur, and with Toto Wolff. I probably get along best with Jonathan Wheatley. Formula 1 always has many big controversies, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I think Christian will return, and I hope he will return.”
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