Zak Brown: In F1, you can't sit down for tea with just anyone.

      It so happened that Zak Brown and Christian Horner had rather poor relations, and McLaren Racing's chief executive did not hide that he was pleased when there was a change of leadership at Red Bull Racing.

      However, in that same August interview with the British agency PA he did not rule out that Horner might return to Formula 1, and now that prospect has become more real after Red Bull reached an agreement with their former team principal and must pay him a multimillion settlement.

      There is talk in the paddock that at the next stage of his career Horner would like to become not just the principal of one of the championship teams, but also a co-owner — a role similar to the one Toto Wolff plays at Mercedes AMG F1 Team, where he owns one-third of the team's shares.

      When Zak Brown was asked during an interview with Bloomberg what he thought about Horner possibly returning in 2026, his answer was:

      "I suppose he has had a brilliant career in Formula 1; his record — numerous wins in the World Championship. But when you come into this sport you don't become best friends with everyone. People here have different characters, and that's how it should be, although, probably, you are not willing to have a cup of tea with everyone…

      I think our sport is unique in that the fascinating rivalry takes place not only on the tracks but also off them. Team principals and drivers are a very small community — I suppose the fans know all of us. So, on the pit lane I have both friends and people who are not…"

      However, while Christian Horner is currently occupied not with negotiations about returning to the paddock but with family matters — in particular, this week he is traveling around Scotland with his wife, Geri Halliwell, a former member of the once-famous group the Spice Girls.