McLaren CEO Zak Brown has sharply criticized Red Bull boss Christian Horner for making “excuses” and “not taking responsibility” when the team violated Formula 1’s cost cap rules.

To tighten the field and give teams further down the rankings a better chance, the sport introduced an initial budget cap of $145 million in 2021.

But although nine teams complied with the financial limits, Red Bull was found to have exceeded £1.8 million and reached an accepted breach of contract agreement with the FIA.

Red Bull was fined $7 million and had its aerodynamic testing licenses cut by 10 percent over a 12-month period, a punishment Horner later described as “draconian.”

The Austrian team, which won the 2021 title with Max Verstappen in the season in which the break occurred, subsequently dominated both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Brown, whose McLaren team has become a challenger to Red Bull this season, claims Horner and Red Bull have avoided taking responsibility for the breach.

“I’ve known Christian for about 25, 30 years. We’ve competed against each other a lot. I’d say we’ve always gotten on well,” Brown told the BBC.

“I believe in transparency. I believe in raising your hand when you do something wrong.

“The cost cap and the excuses behind it – I never heard ‘we just did it wrong’. I heard excuses and that they didn’t take responsibility.

“When someone exceeds the cost cap and doesn’t seem to take it seriously, it is an attack on the integrity and essence of the sport.

“For me, this is nothing personal. It’s about protecting our sport.”

Brown maintained that Red Bull should have been “more transparent” in its internal investigation into allegations against Horner’s conduct.

Horner was accused of coercion and inappropriate behaviour towards a colleague, but was cleared at a pre-season investigation and an appeal was upheld.

“If I see things that are inconsistent with our values, I will say something about it because it is important that people understand where we come from,” he added.

“I realise that this doesn’t always go down well with me and that not everyone in the pit lane will.

“But as long as I’m friends with McLaren, our fans and our partners, that’s the most important thing for me.”