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Toto Wolff · Australian Grand Prix paddock, Melbourne 2026

Horner says McLaren's Mercedes deal limits Brown's freedom to challenge Wolff

Archive photograph: Toto Wolff · Australian Grand Prix paddock, Melbourne 2026 · 2026-03-07Archive photo · 2026-03-07 · Yu Chu Chin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Christian Horner argues that McLaren's Mercedes power-unit partnership limits Zak Brown's freedom to criticise Toto Wolff. The deal runs through 2030.

Christian Horner says McLaren's reliance on Mercedes power units leaves Zak Brown less free to challenge Toto Wolff publicly than he once was.

In an interview published by The Guardian, Horner attributed what he sees as Brown's restraint to the commercial relationship, rather than to a lack of appetite to take on the Mercedes team principal.

McLaren has run Mercedes engines since 2021 and extended the partnership through 2030, covering the full engine-regulation cycle introduced in 2026.

Horner also said he had used his long-running rivalry with Wolff to galvanise people to take on Mercedes.

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEChristian Horner explains why Zak Brown 'can't ruffle feathers' of Toto WolffRacingNews365 English

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