“McLAREN chief Zak Brown has taken a swipe at former Red Bull principal Christian Horner, claiming his “arrogance” resulted in mistakes for the team. The two Formula One giants have a hostile relationship which spans three decades. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Zak Brown has accused Christian Horner of being ‘arrogant’ Credit:”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
The two Formula One giants have a hostile relationship which spans three decades.
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Zak Brown has accused Christian Horner of being ‘arrogant’Credit: Alamy
Brown also reflected on the accusations made by Red Bull about McLaren last seasonCredit: Reuters They were first pitted against each other in Formula Three but later took that rivalry off-track and into F1.
The last few years in the sport have been particularly frosty, with Brown and Horner firing shots back and forth as their teams continued to form a close rivalry on the grid.
But now Brown has revealed his thoughts on the former Red Bull man, who was sacked in July.
The 54-year-old admitted he no longer gets on with Horner and claimed that ‘Drive to Survive’ – the F1 docuseries produced by Netflix – “changed” him.
He told the Telegraph: “I’ve known Christian for 30-plus years. We used to get on. His results are amazing. So, hats off.
“But he’s changed. I think the Drive to Survive fame, the money, the glory, all got a bit much.”
Asked if Horner “plays fair” on and off track, he added: “At times, no.
“Back when I was racing, there were drivers who raced hard and squeezed competitors’ cars two wheels off the track. That’s OK.
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“But other drivers squeeze you four wheels off the track. That’s not OK. I’m a two wheels off guy. Christian is a four wheels off guy.
“He made allegations towards our team. I can’t imagine he believed them. It was simply intended to disrupt us.”
Red Bull approached the FIA last November to accuse McLaren of illegally injecting water into their tyres in a bid to cool them quickly during races.
On the accusations, Brown went on to say: “Regardless of legality, everyone in the sport knows you wouldn’t do that for technical reasons.”
The McLaren boss then accused Horner of being arrogant, adding: “I have a huge ego. Make no mistake.
“Ego is good. Arrogance is terrible. For me, ego is all about pride.
“It protects my brand and the team’s performance. Arrogance makes you make mistakes.”
Horner was sacked by Red Bull in JulyCredit: Reuters