McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has reiterated his long-standing criticism of multiple ownership and close team relationships in Formula 1, amid Mercedes’ interest in taking a minority stake in Alpine.
Brown has long been a critic of what he calls “AB teams,” where one organization has a deeper relationship with another through ownership structures or technology partnerships.
Red Bull has owned two teams since 2005, Ferrari has a long-standing technical partnership with Haas, while it was revealed last month that Mercedes was among the parties interested in buying the 24% stake in the Alpine team currently held by US investment firm Otro Capital.
Renault Group is the majority owner of Alpine and Flavio Briatore, executive advisor to Enstone Group, said: “Typically one company makes 75% of the decisions and 25% of the passengers and this is the reality.”
Such arrangements are allowed, but Mr Brown, whose McLaren team uses Mercedes engines, said his view on the issue “applies to everyone”, adding: “I frown upon it, no matter who it is.” Brown believes that the relationship between the teams should not extend beyond the supply of power units to customers in the future.
He told Sky Sports News: “I’ve said for 10 years that I don’t like co-ownership and I don’t like AB teams.
“I think that’s a high risk to the integrity of the sport.
“We witnessed a team’s fastest lap, with Daniel Ricciardo (when he was driving for Racing Bulls) taking points away from McLaren and helping Max (Verstappen) and Red Bull (2024 Singapore Grand Prix).
Zac Brown reiterates concerns about multi-team ownership in F1
“We’ve seen intellectual property transferred from one team to another. We’ve seen staff move from one team to another overnight, but we’ll have to wait until 2028. There they’ll have a sporting advantage, and sometimes with compensation. It’s a cost-cap advantage because they don’t have to write a check.”
Brown told reporters at a McLaren media event: “Can you imagine a Premier League game, two teams owned by the same group? If one loses they’ll be relegated, but the other can afford to lose. That’s the risk we’re taking.”
“So I think having the engine power unit as a supplier is the best we can do.
“And in my view, all 11 teams should be as completely independent as possible.”
Brown raised concerns about the issue during the final round of Concorde talks among F1 stakeholders, saying: “I think it’s under control now,” but added: “There have been incidents[in the past]and we need to eliminate them, not add to them.”
And while he says he is “hugely grateful” for what Red Bull has done in over 20 years of investment in F1 and knows the story behind why they added a second team to ownership, taking over the ailing Minardi team in 2005, he believes such a model should not be repeated.
“Frankly, it’s nice to see that Racing Bulls and Red Bull don’t look like the same race car,” he added.
“I think I had this conversation with Laurent[Mekies, Red Bull team principal]. I don’t particularly blame him, but he was the only one who had two teams and was very open and transparent. ‘If you don’t like something, let’s talk about it.’ So I think they are aware of that and don’t try to push the envelope.
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“With the Concorde Accords, there was an argument that we should sell one of the teams over time, but at the same time we have a huge appreciation for what they’ve done for this sport and how it used to be done. So I think as long as it’s managed and monitored… but I think it would be wrong for this sport to certainly add to that.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said last month that he had no intention of turning Alpine (which has also been an engine supplier this year) into a junior works team, but said he was evaluating the merits of a minority stake with Otro Capital, which is considering whether to continue holding a stake.
“We’re looking at different angles, but no conclusions have been reached,” Wolff said. “I want to know if that makes sense.”
A consortium involving former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has also been confirmed as an interested party.
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