Follow us on Google Discover Zak Brown has highlighted the importance of one dynamic present at McLaren that Christian Horner strongly opposed at Red Bull, leading to his demise.
Horner’s sacking from his position as the CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing served as one of the biggest shocks of the year, given his long-standing tenure at the team that saw them achieve great success.
The 51-year-old is currently on the hunt for his next venture in the sport, and, according to Martin Brundle, Horner’s only demands are that he is brought on as an investor alongside the trackside duties he will also be looking after.
The reason for the British executive’s terms comes down to the way he was ousted from his role at Red Bull. With a stake in the team, it will make it more difficult for a shock exit, like the one he received from the owners of the Austrian constructor, to occur again.
Above all, Horner wants control, as he did at the Milton Keynes factory, but his formerly fierce rival, Zak Brown, has highlighted the importance of delegation in an F1 team in his verdict on why McLaren have emerged as a dominant force this season.
READ MORE: What Red Bull factory workers are saying about the ‘culture’ at the team since Christian Horner left
Zak Brown says McLaren’s leadership dynamic is ‘required’ in modern-day Formula 1
Speaking on a recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, Brown was asked about why the ‘two-pronged approach’ of having separate figures assume the roles of team principal and CEO works so well.
The American executive replied, “I think the size of these racing teams now, the amount of time, effort, commitment that is required to do what Andrea and I do, you cannot do as one person.
“I wasn’t in Mexico and I joined every team debrief, which Andrea [Stella] joins. Normally, I don’t because I can’t; I’ve got sponsor commitments, media commitments, shareholder commitments, and if I weren’t there doing that, someone would need to do it. That would be in Andrea.
“You can’t be in two places at one time in a sport that is so competitive, so relentless. You can’t leave anything on the table. You need to be 100% committed to everything you’re doing.
“And when you look at our collective role profiles, not long ago, when Formula 1 teams were two, three, four or 500 people, usually the CEO or the team principal was also the owner of the team. But there are just too many responsibilities now.
“When the competition is too good to be in a position where if we’re kind of 90%, when the whole field’s covered by 2%, you’ve got to give 100% in everything you do. Aside from that, I don’t have his skills. I don’t have Andrea’s engineering background, understanding of the sport technically.
“So, if we reversed roles, even though we would all be totally dedicated to what we’re doing, I’m pretty sure the car wouldn’t be as fast if I were touching it.”
READ MORE: Jos Verstappen shares how Max Verstappen has changed since Christian Horner left Red Bull
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesChristian Horner was adamant about being in control of every department at Red Bull
One of the main reasons for Horner’s sudden exit from Red Bull was due to the sheer amount of power he held within the day-to-day operations of the Formula 1 outfit.
Despite the success they enjoyed between 2021 and 2024 with Max Verstappen at the wheel, Horner was locked into a power struggle with Helmut Marko behind the scenes.
This is something that was experienced by a multitude of key figures within the Red Bull stable.
Staff felt like Horner had changed his approach to management in recent years, highlighting how he started making decisions that were beneficial to himself only, and acting like he was the team, rather than everyone else around him as well.
CHRISTIAN HORNER’S RECORD AS RED BULL F1 TEAM PRINCIPALGrands Prix entered406Wins124Podiums287Pole positions107Points8,009Drivers’ championships8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)Constructors’ championships6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023)
Before his eventual sacking, the 51-year-old conceded his control of the marketing department due to pressure from the company’s Thai owners. Horner was adamant about continuing his role, but eventually backed down after they threatened him with the sack at the time.
Now that he is back on the market, it will be fascinating to see where the British executive will lay down roots next.
Ferrari has been tipped as a potential destination for Horner, but it’s clear that he won’t be able to follow through with his biggest demand of purchasing a stake in the team.