{"id":394078,"date":"2026-04-23T17:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T17:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/394078\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T17:38:15","slug":"f1-news-zak-brown-wants-old-rival-christian-horner-back-in-f1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/394078\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Zak Brown wants old rival Christian Horner back in F1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Zak
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristian Horner was a divisive figure during his time in F1. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n

Brown and Horner famously butted heads during their joint time as powerbrokers in the sport, a rivalry amplified by Netflix\u2019s Drive to Survive.<\/p>\n

The dynamic came to a sudden end midway through last year, though, when Horner was ousted from the Red Bull Racing organisation after two decades at the helm.<\/p>\n

There is now fresh speculation of a Horner return via an ownership stake in the Alpine squad<\/a>, something Brown says he would welcome for the good of F1.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristian was a great personality for the sport,\u201d said Brown.<\/p>\n


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<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSport always has great personalities. I think it\u2019d be great to have Christian back in the sport. He\u2019s a great operator. His track record speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather have 10 weak team principals, but that\u2019s not going to happen anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there\u2019s huge talent that\u2019s coming up all the time. There\u2019s been a lot of team principal moves in the last two to three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think it\u2019d be great to have [Horner] back in the sport, and given his passion for the sport and his age, I\u2019d be shocked if he wasn\u2019t back in the sport, whether it is with Alpine or or someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horner isn\u2019t the only party linked to a buy-in to Alpine, with Mercedes and Toto Wolff also rumoured to be interested in a stake in the Enstone squad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That has put the matter of common ownership between F1 teams in the spotlight once again.<\/p>\n

As it stands the only example is Red Bull\u2019s ownership of both its primary team and its junior team, Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n

That is generally tolerated by the rest of the paddock, however Brown is clear on his views against the concept as a whole and how Mercedes investing in Alpine would be a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think A\/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been vocal about it from day one. We\u2019ve seen it play out on track in a sporting way, Daniel Ricardo taking a fastest lap point away from us to help the other team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen IP violations on the Aston Martin\/Racing Point on brake ducts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen employees move [between sister teams] overnight, where we either have to wait or sometimes make financial deals, which then impacts us in the cost cap.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when you see other teams that move [people] from one to the other, and then also without financial compensation, that\u2019s an unfair financial advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an unfair sporting advantage. We\u2019ve seen Ferrari and Haas move people back and forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you imagine a Premier League game, and you\u2019ve got two teams owned by the same group, one\u2019s going to get relegated if they lose, the other can afford to lose \u2013 that\u2019s what we run the risk of.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my view, all 11 teams should absolutely be as independent as possible, because I think it has a high risk, and we have seen it compromise the integrity of the sport, and that will be what turns fans off quicker than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown clarified that he is willing to tolerate Red Bull owning two teams as long as F1 and the FIA closely monitor how those teams work together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to see that the Racing Bulls and Red Bull don\u2019t look like the same race car,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had these conversations with [Red Bull Racing boss] Laurent [Mekies], and I\u2019m not picking on him in particular, but he\u2019s the only one who\u2019s got two teams, and he\u2019s been very open and transparent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they recognise it and don\u2019t want to push the envelope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were discussions in the Concord Agreement about, should, over time, one of the teams be divested, but I also have a huge appreciation for what [Red Bull has] done for the sport and how that was done a long time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut certainly, adding to it, I think would be a mistake for the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n


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