“Mistake for the sport” – Zak Brown slams Mercedes-Alpine link

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has once again expressed his opposition to the concept of A/B teams in Formula 1, stating it would be a “mistake for the sport” if Mercedes were to invest in Alpine, as has been speculated.

Brown first voiced his concerns about A/B team structures in 2024, specifically targeting Red Bull’s ownership of a second team, Racing Bulls. He highlighted concerns over sporting integrity, including an incident in which a sister team driver took the fastest lap point away from McLaren to benefit the main Red Bull outfit.

Earlier this year, speculation emerged that Mercedes—McLaren’s engine supplier—could acquire a minority stake in Alpine. The share in question is the 24% currently owned by American investment consortium Otro Capital in the struggling Enstone-based team.

There have also been discussions in the latest Concorde Agreement about the possibility of Red Bull eventually divesting one of its teams. Against that backdrop, Brown pointed to what he sees as a contradiction in allowing another potential A/B team structure to form.

“There were discussions in the Concorde Agreement about should, over time, one of the [Red Bull] teams be divested,” Brown said.

“But I also have a huge appreciation for what they’ve done for the sport and how that was done a long time ago.

“So, I think as long as it’s managed and watched [the Red Bull situation is OK]. But certainly adding to it [through a different alliance], I think would be a mistake for the sport.”

On the issue of sporting integrity, Brown referenced not only the 2024 Singapore example but also other recent instances within Formula 1.

“In today’s day and age if that’s permitted, I think it runs a real high risk of compromising the integrity of sporting fairness,” he added.

“And what would turn fans off is if they don’t feel like there’s 11 independent racing teams.

“I’ve been vocal about it from day one. We’ve seen it play out on track in a sporting way, with [then AlphaTauri driver] Daniel Ricciardo taking the fastest lap point away from us [in Singapore in 2024] to help the other team.

“We’ve seen IP violations on the Racing Point brake ducts [in the 2020 ‘pink Mercedes’ saga over the similarity between the teams’ two cars].

“We’ve seen employees move overnight [between affiliated teams], where we either have to wait and sometimes make financial deals, which then impacts us in the cost cap.

“We’ve seen Ferrari and Haas move people back and forth, and we know with IP there’s a lot in your head with that.”

Brown also drew a comparison with football to illustrate the potential risks of shared ownership structures.

“Can you imagine a Premier League game where you’ve got two teams owned by the same group – one’s going to get relegated if they lose, and the other can afford to lose?

“That’s what we run the risk of. So, I think having engine power-units as suppliers is as far as it should go.”

He added that such arrangements would not be “healthy for the sport,” while stressing his stance is not directed at any specific individual or team.

“It applies to anybody and everybody. So A/B teams, co-ownership, regardless of who it is, I frown upon it.”

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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