"I wouldn't wanna be Christian Horner": McLaren boss Zak Brown gives his verdict on Red Bull leader being investigated for inappropriate conduct

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and McLaren CEO Zak Brown were seen locking horns in the latest season of the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive.' In episode 1, Brown shared his opinion on Horner's infamous inappropriate conduct case and feared the risk of division within the sport.

The much-anticipated Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' season 7 was aired on March 7, uncovering all the behind-the-scenes footage of the 2024 F1 season. The 10-episode series will cover all the major and controversial storylines of the previous season to show fans the real picture.

Meanwhile, in episode 1 of the new season, Netflix has seemingly laid emphasis on Red Bull team principal Horner's inappropriate conduct case. Horner was accused of sending explicit messages to one of his female colleagues, leading to an internal investigation.

In the 19th minute of the first episode titled 'Business as Usual', Zak Brown, McLaren's CEO, shared his opinion on the whole controversy and expressed fear of a potential divide within the sport.

"There's a lot of stuff going on over there that I think will create some divide. And ultimately, any sports team needs to have total unity. I wouldn't want to be Christian [Horner]," Brown said.

Zak Brown had also delivered a bold statement in the press conference, which didn't amuse Horner. In the same episode, the Red Bull team principal was heard calling Brown a 'pr**k.'

This new rivalry between the two team principals spilled over throughout the 2024 F1 season, especially when the constructors championship race between Red Bull and McLaren got heated. Brown, however, had the last laugh as his team beat Red Bull to win the constructors title and end their 26-year-long trophy-less drought.

Horner, meanwhile, was cleared of any wrongdoings in the misconduct case, as the internal investigation committee reportedly didn't find any real evidence to implicate him.

---

Netflix edited out Christian Horner's strong word for Zak Brown - Reports

Zak Brown [L] Christian Horner [R] (Image Source: Getty)

Netflix dropped the seventh season of the 'Drive to Survive' documentary series on March 7, and F1 fans are already hooked on it. However, according to recent reports from The Times, the Netflix team had to edit out some parts of the original footage to make the episodes viewer-friendly.

In the first episode, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called McLaren CEO a 'pr**k' in response to the latter's comments on his misconduct case. However, according to The Times, Horner used a much stronger word (c**t) for Brown in the original footage.

Netflix producers reportedly felt that viewers should not see two respected team principals abusing each other and hence decided to replace the word.

'Drive to Survive' has previously faced criticism for showing orchestrated rivalries. By avoiding abusive language, Netflix is likely trying to leave a positive impact on the viewers and F1 fans.