Zak Brown is adamant his criticism of A/B teams in Formula 1 is not personal after Flavio Briatore confirmed that Mercedes is in negotiations to purchase Otroâs stake in the Alpine team.
Brown has been a long-time critic of any person or company owning two Formula 1 teams, such as Red Bull owning Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Now Mercedes could become a dual owner.
Zak Brown A/B teams stance amid Mercedes Alpine talks
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Red Bull GmbH was the first A/B team owner in Formula 1, the company stepping in to save Minardi back in 2005 when it wouldâve meant the demise of the Formula 1 team.
But while Red Bull GmbH has had offers since to sell its second team, it has refused, which he irked McLaren chief Brown.
Back in 2018, he voiced concerns over the integrity of B-team arrangements and has continued to be vocal in his complaints.
No more so than in 2024 when Lando Norris lost a crucial bonus point in the championship race when Racing Bullâs Daniel Ricciardo went out for a late soft tyre run to deny Max Verstappenâs title rival the fastest lap point.
âThatâs a nice A/B-team sporting thing that I didnât think was allowed,â he told SiriusXM. âBut this isnât the first time weâve seen it, and it probably wonât be the last.â
He indicated that he would âcertainly ask some questions.â
Red Bull and Racing Bullsâ relationship was again under the spotlight when Red Bull said farewell to Christian Horner in the days after the British Grand Prix and immediately appointed Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls in his stead. No gardening leave required.
Ferrari, although not co-owners of Haas, has done similarly with its relationship with the Ferrari-powered team.
And now Mercedes could become a 24 per cent co-owner of the Alpine F1 team.
De facto Alpine team boss Briatore confirmed earlier this year that Mercedes is in talks to buy Otro Capitalâs 24 per cent stake in Alpine. Although PlanetF1.com understands it is Toto Wolff who has made the bid, the Austrian a part owner of the Mercedes F1 team, Briatore insisted it was Mercedes.
âEvery day itâs a new situation,â he said during Fridayâs team principal press conference in Shanghai. âBut what I want to say, I know itâs a negotiation from Mercedes, not with Toto, with Mercedes, and we see.â
But whether it is Mercedes or Mercedesâ co-owners, itâs not a situation that Brown wants.
âIt applies to anybody and everybody,â he told PlanetF1.com and other media.
âA/B teams co-ownership, so regardless of who it is, I frown upon it. I donât think itâs healthy for the sport. So itâs not personal or towards any one team or individual.â
More from Zak Brownâs spring briefing
Why Zak Brown says Christian Horner makes F1 better
Zak Brown insists Andrea Stella remains McLaren âglueâ amid GianPiero Lambiase arrival â still be linked
The McLaren CEO expanded on his reasoning, saying: âIt hasnât changed at all, I think Iâve been consistent. I think A/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
âI think co-ownership, which we have of one group now â and I understand how that came about and why it came about â but todayâs day and age, thatâs permitted in almost, if not all, major forms of sport.
âI think it runs a real high risk of compromising the integrity of sporting fairness, which comes back to the earlier question, what would turn fans off, is if they donât feel like there are 11 independent racing teams.
âIâve been vocal about it from day one.
âWeâve seen it play out on track in a sporting way â Daniel Ricciardo taking the fastest lap point away from us to help the other team [in Singapore in 2024].
âWeâve seen IP violations on the Aston Martin/Racing Point on brake ducts, weâve seen employees move overnight, where we either have to wait and sometimes make financial deals, which then impacts us on the cost cap.
âSo when you see other teams that move from one to the other, and then also without financial compensation, thatâs an unfair financial advantage, thatâs an unfair sporting advantage.
âWeâve seen Ferrari and Haas move people back and forth, and we know IP is a lot in your head, so when you put that all togetherâŠâ
He continued: âCan you imagine a Premier League game and youâve got two teams owned by the same group, oneâs going to get relegated if they lose, the other can afford to lose, and thatâs what we run the risk of.
âSo I think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.
âAnd then, in my view, all 11 teams should be absolutely as independent as possible, because I think it has a high risk, and we have seen it compromise the integrity of the sport, and that will be what turns fans off quicker than anything else.â
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Brown has been a long-time critic of any person or company owning two Formula 1 teams, such as Red Bull owning Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Now Mercedes could become a dual owner.
Zak Brown A/B teams stance amid Mercedes Alpine talks
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Red Bull GmbH was the first A/B team owner in Formula 1, the company stepping in to save Minardi back in 2005 when it wouldâve meant the demise of the Formula 1 team.
But while Red Bull GmbH has had offers since to sell its second team, it has refused, which he irked McLaren chief Brown.
Back in 2018, he voiced concerns over the integrity of B-team arrangements and has continued to be vocal in his complaints.
No more so than in 2024 when Lando Norris lost a crucial bonus point in the championship race when Racing Bullâs Daniel Ricciardo went out for a late soft tyre run to deny Max Verstappenâs title rival the fastest lap point.
âThatâs a nice A/B-team sporting thing that I didnât think was allowed,â he told SiriusXM. âBut this isnât the first time weâve seen it, and it probably wonât be the last.â
He indicated that he would âcertainly ask some questions.â
Red Bull and Racing Bullsâ relationship was again under the spotlight when Red Bull said farewell to Christian Horner in the days after the British Grand Prix and immediately appointed Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls in his stead. No gardening leave required.
Ferrari, although not co-owners of Haas, has done similarly with its relationship with the Ferrari-powered team.
And now Mercedes could become a 24 per cent co-owner of the Alpine F1 team.
De facto Alpine team boss Briatore confirmed earlier this year that Mercedes is in talks to buy Otro Capitalâs 24 per cent stake in Alpine. Although PlanetF1.com understands it is Toto Wolff who has made the bid, the Austrian a part owner of the Mercedes F1 team, Briatore insisted it was Mercedes.
âEvery day itâs a new situation,â he said during Fridayâs team principal press conference in Shanghai. âBut what I want to say, I know itâs a negotiation from Mercedes, not with Toto, with Mercedes, and we see.â
But whether it is Mercedes or Mercedesâ co-owners, itâs not a situation that Brown wants.
âIt applies to anybody and everybody,â he told PlanetF1.com and other media.
âA/B teams co-ownership, so regardless of who it is, I frown upon it. I donât think itâs healthy for the sport. So itâs not personal or towards any one team or individual.â
More from Zak Brownâs spring briefing
Why Zak Brown says Christian Horner makes F1 better
Zak Brown insists Andrea Stella remains McLaren âglueâ amid GianPiero Lambiase arrival â still be linked
The McLaren CEO expanded on his reasoning, saying: âIt hasnât changed at all, I think Iâve been consistent. I think A/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
âI think co-ownership, which we have of one group now â and I understand how that came about and why it came about â but todayâs day and age, thatâs permitted in almost, if not all, major forms of sport.
âI think it runs a real high risk of compromising the integrity of sporting fairness, which comes back to the earlier question, what would turn fans off, is if they donât feel like there are 11 independent racing teams.
âIâve been vocal about it from day one.
âWeâve seen it play out on track in a sporting way â Daniel Ricciardo taking the fastest lap point away from us to help the other team [in Singapore in 2024].
âWeâve seen IP violations on the Aston Martin/Racing Point on brake ducts, weâve seen employees move overnight, where we either have to wait and sometimes make financial deals, which then impacts us on the cost cap.
âSo when you see other teams that move from one to the other, and then also without financial compensation, thatâs an unfair financial advantage, thatâs an unfair sporting advantage.
âWeâve seen Ferrari and Haas move people back and forth, and we know IP is a lot in your head, so when you put that all togetherâŠâ
He continued: âCan you imagine a Premier League game and youâve got two teams owned by the same group, oneâs going to get relegated if they lose, the other can afford to lose, and thatâs what we run the risk of.
âSo I think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.
âAnd then, in my view, all 11 teams should be absolutely as independent as possible, because I think it has a high risk, and we have seen it compromise the integrity of the sport, and that will be what turns fans off quicker than anything else.â
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
