McLaren\u2019s Zak Brown has written to the FIA, urging a rule change to eliminate the possibility of any future common team ownership structures.<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019s communication with the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has called for formal discussions of how to legislate to eliminate common ownership of teams and strategic alliances.<\/p>\n
Zak Brown urges FIA discussions over Formula 1 ownership rules<\/p>\n
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Add us as a\u00a0preferred source on Google<\/a>\u00a0to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n The McLaren<\/a> CEO has written a letter to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem earlier this week, expressing integrity concerns surrounding common team ownership structures and alliance relationships between ostensibly competing F1 teams.<\/p>\n The letter, a copy of which has been seen by PlanetF1.com, has not taken aim at any particular entity currently involved in Formula 1, but the topic of common team ownership is a matter that has returned to prominence in recent months following the reveal of Mercedes\u2019 interest in the purchase of the 24 per cent stake in the Alpine F1 team currently owned by Otro Capital, which would create the perception of the Enstone-based squad becoming a Mercedes \u2018satellite\u2019 team should it be successful.<\/p>\n The topic of so-called A\/B teams is not a new one, and it\u2019s one Brown has expressed vociferous concerns about in over the last few years, and said recently when asked about the potential Mercedes\/Alpine deal that, \u201cIt applies to anybody and everybody\u2026 A\/B teams, co-ownership\u2026 regardless of who it is, I frown upon it. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s healthy for the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI think A\/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Alpine\u2019s Flavio Briatore confirmed negotiations between Otro Capital and Mercedes during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, a move which, if completed, would strengthen the existing links between the teams further, following Alpine becoming a customer team of the Mercedes power unit this season.<\/p>\n However, the drawback of a successful bid could also be seen as having a dilutionary effect on the brand image of Renault and Alpine in the automotive sector, given the perception of giving up on its manufacturer status by turning to Mercedes power after acquiescing in the engine race by shutting down its power unit facility at Viry-Chatillion.<\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 interest is not the only F1-related potential candidate linked with the Otro Capital stake, with former Red Bull boss Christian Horner also believed to be in the race for the ownership stake as he pursues a return to the F1 grid.<\/p>\n But, while a potential link-up between Mercedes and Alpine has reignited the discussion, it\u2019s not the only example of common ownership: Red Bull owns two teams, with Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls entirely owned by the Austrian drinks giant.<\/p>\n This is a situation that has been \u201cgrandfathered\u201d into Formula 1, with Red Bull purchasing the former Minardi squad when the commercial and political landscape of the sport was very different to nowadays.<\/p>\n Brown offered several examples of perceived moments of aligned sporting interests, such as drivers from rival teams being able to be deployed to slow down other competitors, as well as incidents of continuous movement of personnel between affiliated teams, such as senior figures like Laurent Mekies starting at Red Bull Racing immediately following a management change made in mid-2025 in the wake of Horner\u2019s firing, or Andrea Landi\u2019s upcoming move to Red Bull from Racing Bulls shortly after the announcement of the switch.<\/p>\n \u201cWhilst it once had its place, over time, it has become increasingly clear that these structures create unintended but very real consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder your leadership and FIA ownership of the sport and Liberty\u2019s commercial ownership, the dynamics of the sport have changed. Every team is now worth billions, and the overwhelming majority are financially stable, therefore the dependency on other teams\u2019 support is no longer required for the fiscal health of the racing teams.\u201d<\/p>\n With significant gardening leave periods creating financial and time restrictions on the ease of such moves, the perks offered by way of common ownership could be seen as distinctly advantageous than moves between teams who are not politically or strategically aligned.<\/p>\n Brown also addressed several areas of concern related to common ownership and alliance-based relationships, such as sporting, financial and technical integrity pertaining to the various regulatory rulebooks, as well as the overall governance of the sport.<\/p>\n The letter to Ben Sulayem outlined Brown\u2019s belief that sporting integrity isn\u2019t further compromised by the current model, particularly with the potential for the situation to be exacerbated by a potential Mercedes stake in Alpine.<\/p>\n To that end, Brown called for the prohibition of any future co-ownership arrangements, and begin exploring ways to start more tightly regulating existing alliances in order to eliminate A\/B team dynamics, offering an example of how UEFA has outlined explicit rules pertaining to multi-club ownership in football, with structural remedies in place for clubs with common ownership, such as independent trusts and restrictions.<\/p>\n This also includes the assertion that the sport would be taking a step back on integrity and fairness if the situation remains as it is, and suggests that each team must compete on an equal footing to all 10 of its rivals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to eliminate any further alliances,\u201d he wrote, \u201cwhether through ownership, strategic participation, or any other equivalent form of control or influence, and we need to work together quickly to start the process of unwinding those already established to ensure that the future integrity of the sport is not compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to Sky Sports News last month, Brown said, \u201cI think it runs a high risk of compromising the sporting integrity of the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen fastest laps from one team, Daniel Ricciardo [when driving for Racing Bulls] take a point away from McLaren to help Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull [at the 2024 Singapore GP].<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen IP transfer from one team to another. We\u2019ve seen staff move from one team to another overnight where I have to wait until 2028. So they get a sporting advantage there, sometimes that comes with some remuneration \u2013 they\u2019re not going to have to write a cheque, so it\u2019s a cost-cap advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n More on A\/B teams in F1<\/p>\n Mohammed Ben Sulayem says multi-team ownership \u2018not right\u2019 in response to Mercedes interest in Alpine<\/a><\/p>\n Zak Brown insists Andrea Stella remains McLaren \u2018glue\u2019 amid GianPiero Lambiase arrival<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, at a recent McLaren media event, Brown said, \u201cCan you imagine a Premier League game and you\u2019ve got two teams owned by the same group? One\u2019s going to get relegated if they lose. The other can afford to lose. That\u2019s what we run the risk of.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then in my view, all 11 teams should be absolutely as independent as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 F1 CEO Toto Wolff has denied that there is any intention to turn Alpine into an Mercedes satellite squad, should it be successful in purchasing the Otro Capital stake, saying, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t want a junior team,\u201d when asked by France\u2019s l\u2019Equipe for comment on the topic.<\/p>\n As for the FIA, Ben Sulayem himself addressed the issue of A\/B teams during a media roundtable during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is not interested [in the Otro stake]?\u201d Ben Sulayem said, as per the Times. \u201cReally, everybody is there.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, I feel ownership of two teams, as long as it\u2019s for the right reason\u2026 and what is the right reason?<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as you are not trying to take it because you don\u2019t want others to take it, or also get voting power when it comes to the regulations, then maybe it\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then I do believe that owning two [teams] is not the right way, this is my personal point of view, but we are looking into that because it\u2019s a complicated area.<\/p>\n \u201cWe put our people [to investigate] to see, is it possible? Is it allowed? Is it the right thing?<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something called a sporting side. If we lose, honestly, the sporting spirit, I believe that there will not be any more support in [the sport]. So to me, as I said, I\u2019m not with [support of] it 100 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our\u00a0broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a>\u00a0to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the\u00a0PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n