McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has spoken about the “Netflix effect” while addressing the potential return of Christian Horner, highlighting how Formula One rivalries, on and off track, add to the sport’s personality and make it more “exciting” and “genuine.”
Brown didn’t share a friendly relationship with the former Red Bull team principal, who was ousted after the British Grand Prix for reasons unknown. His differences with Horner were evident on several race weekends, especially on matters concerning Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls. The last 18 months saw McLaren challenging Red Bull on track, which added to the friction between the two bosses.
Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, which helped F1 reach fans in the USA, captured the essence of such rivalries heating up in the background. Soon after Horner’s F1 exit, Brown stated that he was happy to see Laurent Mekies take over the role and stressed F1 was going to be a better place in Horner’s absence. He said:
“I’m happy Laurent’s in the role he is in. I like Laurent, that’ll be healthy, and maybe we can get back to focusing on competition on the track.
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren attend the Team Principals Press Conference during day one of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February…
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren attend the Team Principals Press Conference during day one of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 26, 2025 in Bahrain, Bahrain.
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“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.”
He added:
“I think that we’ll see a little bit of a change for the better. 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.”
Now, several months after Horner’s exit, Brown praised Horner’s contribution to Red Bull and highlighted the crucial role rivalries play in the premier class of motorsports, adding to the excitement and drama that fuels the sport in many ways. Speaking to Bloomberg, as quoted by Planet F1, he said:
“I think he’s had a stellar career in Formula 1. His results are lots of drivers’ championships, [constructors’] world championships.
“I think when you get into sport, not everyone’s best friends.
“There’s different characters, so while we may not have too many cups of tea, as we say in England, you need all different types of characters in the sport.
“I think that’s what makes the sport very exciting. That’s that kind of the Netflix effect: what happens off the track.
“I think our sport’s unique in that not only is the competition on the field of play extremely exciting, there’s a lot of competition off the field of play.
“And it’s a small group of team bosses and drivers, so I think the fans can get to know us all.
“I’ve got my friends in pitlane and some that aren’t, but I think that’s what makes it exciting and it’s authentic and genuine.”