Christian Horner F1 return mooted by Zak Brown: ‘It’d be great to have him back’
Horner is eyeing a route back into the sport – and has been linked with Alpine – after his exit from Red Bull last summer
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says he would be “shocked” if Christian Horner did not return to Formula 1 in the near future. Horner is eyeing a route back into the sport after his sacking from Red Bull last summer, following two decades of success leading the outfit as team principal. He won 14 F1 world championships in total.
The British executive has been linked with Alpine – and is part of a consortium which has bid for a minority stake in the team, alongside a pitch from Mercedes – as well as Aston Martin and even the top job at Ferrari. Brown enjoyed a fractious and fierce relationship with Horner over the last few years, with the pair clashing over Red Bull’s cost-cap breach, incidents between star drivers Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, and even Red Bull’s internal investigation over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” levelled at Horner, for which he was cleared twice in 2024. Yet, speaking at a McLaren media event on Wednesday, Brown has backed his long-term adversary to return to the paddock soon.
“Christian was a great personality for the sport,” said the American. “They come and go. It’d be great to have Christian back in the sport.
He’s a great operator. “I’d rather have 10 weak team principals, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon! It’d be great to have him back.