McLaren chief executive Zak Brown conceded it did not come as a surprise to hear the news of Christian Horner's dismissal at Red Bull after years of "drama".
Horner was let go from his role as Red Bull's chief executive officer (CEO) and team principal after the British Grand Prix, and has since been replaced by Laurent Mekies.
The 51-year-old joined the team in 2005 and became Formula One's youngest team principal at the time, enjoying years of success on the track under his guidance.
Horner led Red Bull to six constructors' and eight drivers' championships, the latest of which came last year when Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive world title.
But their performance plateaued in the middle of the 2024 season, which saw them miss out on the constructor's title to McLaren, their first since 1998.
Towards the end of his tenure, Horner also faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour in 2024, which were dismissed following internal investigations.
Meanwhile, struggles on the track have raised doubts about Verstappen's future at Red Bull, with the Dutchman linked with a switch to rivals Mercedes.
And Brown, whose McLaren team have dominated for much of the 2025 season, said he was not shocked to hear the news about Horner.
"I'm maybe [surprised by] the timing, but not the result," Brown told Canadian TV channel TSN.
"I think there's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down - maybe been getting worse.
"So, I'm not surprised, anytime in the middle of the season. But we're head down on our championship.
"They've got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that. But, yeah, a tremendous amount of success they've had."
Horner is reportedly serving a period of garden leave until the end of this year, and Brown expects to see him back in the motorsport business in 2026.
"Given his age and his history in motor racing, I'd be surprised if he didn't show up somewhere in motor racing," Brown added.
"But I don't know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. So, we'll see."
The F1 calendar continues this weekend at the Belgium Grand Prix, a track Red Bull last won at in 2021 with Verstappen.
