(Motorsport-Total.com) – McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants to prevent further alliances between existing Formula 1 teams. Therefore, he has now addressed FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem in a six-page letter. The trigger was Mercedes’ interest in a 24 percent minority stake in the Alpine team.
Read more Half a second advantage? A secret Ferrari weapon causes political controversy
In his letter, Brown pointed out the risks of such constellations and questioned the sporting fairness. At a press conference at the McLaren headquarters in Woking, Brown went into more detail and cited, as an example, the lack of cooling-off periods for personnel changes between sister teams like Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
An example: After the departure of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, Laurent Mekies was simply transferred from Racing Bulls to Red Bull. Jonathan Wheatley, the former Red Bull sporting director, however, had to observe a cooling-off period of over a year before he was officially allowed to switch to Audi as team principal in April 2025 – a significant difference.
McLaren boss Brown is also bothered by possible team orders scenarios or situations where “related” teams could offer each other strategic assistance. Brown cited the fastest race lap by Racing Bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, which took the bonus point away from World Championship contender Lando Norris, but as 18th place, Ricciardo himself was not eligible for the bonus point. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen benefited from this.
Read more Expert emphasizes: Environment crucial for Antonelli in World Championship duel
Brown also pointed to potential conflicts of interest in political matters in Formula 1 and suggested that independent teams without strategic partnerships could be structurally disadvantaged – unlike partner teams that could benefit from the exchange of technical or operational resources.
Other sports already prevent such scenarios through clear regulations: for example, in the major European football leagues, multiple ownerships of competing teams are prohibited. Now Brown is urging the FIA to follow suit with its own rules for Formula 1. However, an official response from the FIA to Brown’s letter is still pending.
Read more «It was like in the old days»: Fittipaldi raves about World Champion McLaren