The two have frequently provided plenty of fireworks off track over the years, particularly in front of the microphones, with Horner ultimately stepping aside and making way for Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from Racing Bulls to take on the role of CEO and team principal at the Milton Keynes-based team.

Speaking at the Axios House, McLaren CEO was asked whether he would miss Horner — to which he replied with a tongue-in-cheek yet telling “Who?”.

Brown also had words of praise for Mekies, who in just a few months has breathed new life into the team, taking it to the brink of a title comeback with Max Verstappen — a championship ultimately lost by just two points in Abu Dhabi.

McLaren are coming off a 2025 season to remember, having wrapped up back-to-back Constructors’ Championships with plenty to spare and also clinching the Drivers’ title with Lando Norris in a dramatic Abu Dhabi finale.

The Woking-based team now faces a major regulatory reset that is expected to reshuffle the competitive order, with McLaren and Red Bull having been the two outfits to master the ground-effect era better than anyone else.

However, in a letter addressed to the fans, Brown reiterated that “the best is yet to come.”