Christian Horner: Zak Brown 'not surprised' former Red Bull boss was sacked

McLaren Racing main enforcement serviceman Zak Brown says helium was "not surprised" Christian Horner was sacked arsenic squad brag of Red Bull.

Horner was dismissed arsenic squad principal and CEO of Red Bull connected 9 July, 3 days aft their operator Max Verstappen finished 5th successful the British Grand Prix.

Brown told Canadian tv transmission TSN: "I'm possibly [surprised by] the timing, but not the result.

"There's been a batch of play determination the past mates of years and it doesn't look similar that play has been calming down - possibly been getting worse. So I'm not surprised."

Red Bull has fixed nary crushed for the removal of Horner, who has been replaced by Frenchman Laurent Mekies, formerly the main of 2nd squad Racing Bulls.

Horner had led the squad since their debut successful 2005. His departure came 17 months aft it emerged that a pistillate worker had accused him of intersexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour. Two abstracted Red Bull interior investigations dismissed the allegations, which Horner has ever denied.

Since then, Red Bull person gone done a tempestuous period, including a diminution successful their competitiveness.

Their main method serviceman Adrian Newey resigned successful April past year, astatine slightest partially arsenic a effect of the allegations against Horner. Newey - regarded arsenic the top F1 decorator successful past - present works for Aston Martin.

In July past year, long-time sporting manager Jonathan Wheatley besides resigned. He is present squad main of Sauber, which adjacent twelvemonth is morphing into Audi's mill team.

And successful September Red Bull caput of strategy Will Courtenay signed for McLaren. He is presently being held to his declaration and is expected to articulation his caller squad astatine immoderate constituent adjacent year.

While Verstappen won his 4th consecutive satellite rubric past season, the Dutchman won lone doubly successful the last 13 races of the twelvemonth and Red Bull finished 3rd successful the constructors' championship.

This year, Verstappen is 3rd successful the drivers' title with conscionable 2 wins successful the archetypal 12 races and the squad 4th successful the constructors' championship, and Red Bull person been engulfed by speculation astir whether the Dutchman mightiness permission for Mercedes astatine the extremity of the season.

Brown has had a strained narration with Horner implicit the past fewer years.

He said Red Bull's breaching of the fund headdress successful 2021 "constitutes cheating", and successful an interrogation with BBC Sport past summertime Brown said he and Horner "used to get on".

Brown has taken a little provocative attack to Horner this year, but has not hidden his disdain for Red Bull's sniping astir the legality of the McLaren car down the scenes.

At the Miami Grand Prix, helium drank from a vessel labelled "tyre water", a notation to Horner complaining to the FIA astir their content that McLaren were utilizing h2o to chill their tyres. Brown considered the allegation spurious, and said it had nary instauration successful reality.

He described the vessel arsenic "poking amusive astatine a superior issue".

Brown said: "Teams person historically made allegations of different teams - astir precocious 1 squad focuses connected that strategy much than others. And I deliberation that determination is simply a due mode to protestation a squad astatine the extremity of a race, and you person to marque it formal, disclose wherever it comes from, enactment immoderate wealth down."