Zak Brown not ‘surprised’ by Christian Horner’s dismissal

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted he’s “not surprised” by Christian Horner’s dismissal as Red Bull team principal.

Horner was sacked on July 9, just three days after Max Verstappen finished fifth at the British Grand Prix.

Speaking to Canadian broadcaster TSN, Brown commented on the decision: "I'm maybe surprised by the timing, but not the result. There's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down - maybe even getting worse. So I'm not surprised."

The Austrian team has not given an official reason for Horner’s departure. Horner, who had been at the helm since Red Bull Racing’s inception in 2005, has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, the former head of Racing Bulls.

Horner’s exit comes 17 months after internal allegations of sexual harassment were made by a team employee. Two internal investigations ultimately dismissed the claims, which Horner has consistently denied.

(QG - Source: BBC  - Picture : © Picture Alliance / NurPhoto / Jakub Porzycki)