Last Updated on February 22 2024, 8:53 pm

In the high-octane world of Formula One, alliances between teams are not uncommon, but few have caused as much debate and concern as the partnership between Red Bull Racing and its sister team, the Racing Bulls. Such an advantage in some ways could be seen as a form of ‘cheating’, gaining a huge advantage by sharing information. A practice banned by the sport but the McLaren boss is careful not to accuse the opposition using that word specifically.

At the centre of the controversy is McLaren’s managing director, Zak Brown, who has become increasingly vocal about his concerns regarding the close working relationship between the two teams as the 2024 season approaches.

 

The crux of Zak Brown’s concerns

Yet, Brown’s concerns aren’t just about the potential for Red Bull and Racing Bull to outperform his own team by sharing technical knowledge and strategies. Instead, his criticism goes deeper, questioning the very structure and regulations of Formula One.

Unlike critics who suggest that Brown’s motives are driven by a fear of competition, the McLaren boss makes it clear that his stance is rooted in a wider concern for the integrity and fairness of the sport.

At the heart of Brown’s argument is a fundamental question about the nature of team alliances under the current regulatory framework.

“As far as I know, there is no other major sport where you can own two competing teams,” Brown points out, highlighting the unique position Formula One finds itself in by global sporting standards. This scenario, according to Brown, leads to a myriad of benefits that extend beyond the race track, from strategic race planning to political influence within the sport’s governing bodies.

“I don’t think they’re cheating,” Brown tells Motorsport.com’s global language edition the situation between Red Bull and the Racing Bulls. “But the rules are not appropriate.”

“As far as I know, there is no other major sport where you can own two competing teams,” he says. “This is not allowed in any other sport because of the political influence and player trading. There are all sorts of reasons for it.”

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The benefits of team alliances: Beyond the technical

While the focus has often been on the potential technical benefits of such a partnership – such as the sharing of designs and development knowledge – Brown argues that the benefits of A and B team collaboration are more nuanced and potentially more impactful. He cites examples where strategic decisions in races could unfairly favour one team over another, and instances where the alliance’s political power could influence regulatory decisions in its favour.

“Imagine Max [Verstappen] against Oscar [Piastri],” says Brown.

“Oscar qualifies 10th and Max is on pole. The best strategy is to start on Medium. But the RBs qualified 9th and 11th, so they both start on Soft and annoy the others.”

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Another example for him is an incident in Singapore last year. Max Verstappen had hindered Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying, but AlphaTauri did not show up for the hearing. For him, this shows that both teams are not as big rivals as the other teams.

There are also political advantages: having two votes on the Formula 1 Commission means Red Bull only needs the support of one other competitor to block the super-majority needed to prevent immediate rule changes.

Brown also raises concerns about the movement of staff between teams and the transfer of intellectual property that goes with it. He notes that while other teams face significant delays in hiring staff from rivals due to non-compete clauses, those under the Red Bull umbrella can move freely, taking their knowledge and expertise with them.

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The changing landscape of F1

Brown’s concerns have been heightened by the introduction of budget caps and a more level playing field in Formula One. In the past, when disparities between teams were greater, collaborations such as gearbox sharing were seen as a way of helping smaller teams. However, with teams now operating under similar budget constraints, Brown argues that the benefits of team alliances such as Red Bull’s have become more pronounced and problematic.

“A lot of intellectual property is in the mind,” says Brown.

“If you move an executive to another team without taking time off, that’s a transfer of intellectual property because it’s in their head. And there’s nothing stopping them from switching back and forth.”

As an example, Brown cites Red Bull’s chief strategist Nick Roberts and former chief engineer Guillaume Cattelani, who both moved directly to Racing Bulls in the winter – while McLaren had to wait much longer to get staff from other teams.

“I had to wait a year to get David Sanchez,” Brown says. “I had to wait a year to get Rob Marshall.”

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The search for a level playing field

Looking to the future, Brown is calling for regulatory changes to address these concerns. He advocates rules that would prevent multiple teams from sharing ownership and possibly restrict the sharing of customer parts, even if this means moving towards more standardised components to support smaller teams.

“Fifteen years ago we had no budget limit and started selling gearboxes to Force India,” he says. “But there was this gap. The gap was so big that we thought, ‘Let’s help the small teams because they need help.'”

“Now everyone is at the budget limit, the infrastructure is a little different. RB’s wind tunnel was better than ours until recently, and now they have the same budget as us,

“There is no reason why RB shouldn’t do what McLaren or Red Bull do. They have the same resources.”

“Helmut Marko already said: ‘We will get the most out of what the rules allow us,'” he points out, but emphasizes: “I don’t blame them. If I had two teams, I would do exactly what they did do.”

“How can you have ten teams, two of which have different rules to play by, and then two [Ferrari and Haas] that are basically the same?”

“I just think we need total independence and total fairness. We have that in all sports,” he says.

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Brown: We need to bring fairness back into F1

Brown’s ultimate goal is to ensure complete independence and fairness within the sport, bringing F1 into line with the standards of other global sports.

“I think that’s what the fans want, that’s what the sponsors want, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people at RB who said: ‘I want to build my own chassis.'”

“I also got all the other independent teams to agree. Even if they are not so vocal, I have spoken to everyone and everyone agrees – even if we need a transition because people are not prepared for it today,” says Brown.

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“But we don’t want to put things off forever just because not everyone is ready today, do we? I get it: If Williams isn’t ready yet, we should set up a transition so that everyone can by 2026 are independent because everyone has to play by the same rules.”

“In other sports you would have to sell the second team. I think that is the right solution,” continued the McLaren managing director. “But I respect what Red Bull has done for the sport. If that’s a step too far, then there should at least be rules that make them completely independent.”

“I would like to believe that the FIA, Formula 1 and enough teams support this. But I’m here to do whatever it takes. All I ask is a fair playing field and that the best team wins. “

 

 

As the debate continues, Brown is prepared to take his concerns to higher authorities, including Formula One’s governing bodies and possibly the EU’s competition regulator. His aim is not just to protect McLaren’s interests, but the integrity and competitive balance of Formula One as a whole.

With discussions ongoing and the potential for significant regulatory changes on the horizon, the Formula One community will be watching closely to see how this controversy unfolds and shapes the future of the sport.

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