Red Bull has stayed on Zak Brown’s target ever since the FIA found them guilty of breaching the budget cap in 2022. That animosity has only grown over time. Most recently, the McLaren team CEO weaponized Adrian Newey’s exit to attack his rival. In the process, he made some eye-opening revelations that can ring the panic alarm at Red Bull.
The foundation for Newey’s exit was laid arguably with the start of Christian Horner’s “inappropriate behavior” saga. While the team managed to keep itself intact until the investigations were over, they couldn’t keep a consolidated position after the verdict.
Newey, who reportedly found himself in isolation, finally decided to move on. And as per Brown, many more are ready to jump ship. Speaking on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit podcast, Brown said,
“Red Bull is a pretty toxic environment right now. There is more to come. Newey’s departure is an important one, because I think a lot of people at Red Bull started working with him. I already mentioned that there were resumes circulating. That happens all the time, but you see a higher level of discomfort.”
Zak Brown says Red Bull has ‘a pretty toxic environment’
“Red Bull is a pretty toxic environment right now. There is more to come.
“Newey’s departure is an important one, because I think a lot of people at Red Bull started working with him. I already mentioned that there were… pic.twitter.com/hFmTVU830s
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) June 11, 2024
The McLaren boss also highlighted how the mass exodus could hurt the team in the long run. Such situations scare investors away and Red Bull could find them hard to come by if the situation does not improve.
Brown then also talked about Max Verstappen’s precarious position in the team. While the Dutchman is keen on serving the full duration of his contract, he did not rule out an exit if Helmut Marko left.
The octogenarian came under fire for allegedly leaking the chats between Horner and the complainant. While the team eventually dropped the investigation against Marko, Verstappen stuck with him through. With Brown having been commenting upon the situation at Red Bull, Horner has hit back at the American.
Christian Horner responds to Zak Brown’s remarks
This is not the first time Brown has made claims of resumes of Red Bull staff ‘flying all around’. Responding to the news of Newey’s exit, the 52-year-old expressed no surprise.
He dubbed the aero-genius a “very high integrity individual” who had no choice but to leave amid the internal turmoil. Brown also judged his exit to be the first domino to fall.
Responding to the comments, as quoted by Sports Illustrated, Horner said, “Of course, there’s always going to be movement between teams. I don’t know how many people we’ve employed from McLaren this year”. Horner then concluded his remarks by passing some personal comments on Brown, calling him an individual who “talk[s] a lot“.
