Red Bull‘s performance during the previous season drew a lot of attention. However, it wasn’t just their performance that helped them make headlines. The Austrian team was found guilty of exceeding the 2021 cost cap last year and as a result, they say immense backlash not only from fans but also from fellow teams. However, the situation seems to have changed completely as the rival team McLaren, which even wrote a letter to the FIA regarding the same, wants to work with Red Bull.

Red Bull was arguably the team with the best engine last year. In light of this, as per recent sources, Zak Brown visited Red Bull’s headquarters to negotiate a potential engine collaboration. One might think Red Bull themselves uses Honda’s IP to build their power units, so how can they collaborate with McLaren, who are Mercedes customers for the next three years? Well, Ford chose to partner with the Milton Keynes team largely for commercial purposes. So from 2026, with new sporting laws, the Milton Keynes-based team will begin manufacturing their own engines.

Although, the papaya family is not in a hurry to finalize the deal, and Zak Brown wants to see different options. As per the Independent, the CEO of McLaren said, “We have some time to decide what we want to do in 2026 and beyond. It’s something that (McLaren team principal) Andrea (Stella) and I are in the process of slowly reviewing. We’re not in a big rush and we are very happy with Mercedes.”

Discussions about Zak Brown’s 180 turn started right after the news broke. Christian Horner, the boss of Red Bull, and the CEO of McLaren had a falling out last year over Red Bull’s failure to adhere to a budget cap. At the time, Brown issued a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem referring to the team’s excessive spending as “cheating.” Even though the McLaren CEO didn’t mention Red Bull, the Briton didn’t like the accusation.

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The Red Bull budget cap controversy marred the team’s record-breaking season. The squad was under intense criticism from the public and F1 opponents back then.

Zak Brown received a dose of reality from Christian Horner

In October last year, Christian Horner, Zak Brown, and Williams boss Jost Capito gave an interview at the Austin. At that point in time, it was only natural that the journalists wanted the bosses to talk about the budget cap controversy. With this, Horner was questioned about Zak Brown’s statement, where he wrote an overspend breach would “constitute cheating by offering a significant advantage across technical, sporting and financial regulations”.

Christian Horner didn’t like his remarks and, after going through all the overly critical criticism, the Red Bull team boss opted to give Brown a dose of reality. As per Planet F1.com, Horner responded, “It’s absolutely shocking that another competitor without the facts, without any knowledge of the details, can be making that kind of accusation.” 

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“And the rhetoric of cheats, the rhetoric that we’ve had this enormous benefit. The numbers that have been put out in the media are miles out of reality.”

While stating how adverse the effects were, the Briton added, “And the damage that does to the brand, to our partners, to our drivers, to our workforce, in an age when mental health is prevalent, we are seeing significant issues now within our workforce.”

“We are getting kids that have been bullied in playgrounds that are our employees’ children – that is not right through fictitious allegations from other teams, and you cannot go around just making that kind of allegation without any facts or substance.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Red Bull and McLaren Quarrel Over 2022 F1 Cars

Notwithstanding Brown’s assertion that he is content with Mercedes’ power units, the CEO may be looking at different places. And seeing Red Bull’s recent success, they can very well pick last year’s winners as engine partners. Who do you reckon to be the best engine manufacturer in F1 at this point in time?