Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren, has once again voiced his long‑standing objections to the growing trend of multi‑team ownership and close technical alliances within Formula 1. His comments come at a time when Mercedes is reportedly evaluating a possible minority investment in the Alpine Formula 1 team, a move that has reignited debate over the sport’s competitive integrity. Brown has been an outspoken critic of what he labels "A‑B teams" – a situation where one outfit enjoys a privileged relationship with another, either through shared ownership, a technical partnership, or a combination of both. He points to several high‑profile examples: Red Bull has owned two separate entries since 2005, Ferrari maintains a deep technical partnership with Haas, and recent reports suggest that Mercedes is among several parties interested in purchasing the 24 percent share of Alpine currently held by the U.S.
investment firm Otro Capital. Alpine’s majority shareholder is the Renault Group, while former F1 magnate Flavio Briatore, who serves as an executive advisor to the Enstone‑based team, has described the ownership split in blunt terms: "Usually in a company, 75 percent decides and the remaining 25 percent is just a passenger – that’s the reality here." Although such arrangements are legal under the current sporting regulations, Brown argues that they pose a threat to the fairness of the competition. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Brown emphasized that his stance applies universally, regardless of which manufacturers or teams are involved.
"I’ve been saying for ten years I don’t like co‑ownership, I don’t like A‑B teams. I think it runs a high risk of compromising the sporting integrity of the sport," he said.
He added that his own McLaren team runs on Mercedes power units, yet he still condemns any relationship that goes beyond a simple customer‑supplier model. Brown illustrated his concerns with concrete examples from recent races. At the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, he noted that a fastest‑lap point earned by Daniel Ricciardo while driving for the Racing Bulls (Red Bull’s junior outfit) effectively helped Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s lead team.
He also highlighted the rapid transfer of intellectual property and staff between affiliated teams, noting that such moves can provide a hidden advantage that sidesteps the sport’s cost‑cap rules. "We have seen IP transfer from one team to another. We’ve seen staff move from one team to another overnight where I have to wait until 2028. So they get a sporting advantage there, sometimes that comes with some remuneration – they’re not going to have to write a cheque, so it’s a cost‑cap advantage," Brown explained.
To put the issue into a broader perspective, Brown drew an analogy with football: "Can you imagine a Premier League game where two clubs are owned by the same group? One could afford to lose and still stay up, while the other faces relegation.
That’s the risk we run in F1 if we allow multi‑team ownership to expand." He reiterated that the only acceptable relationship, in his view, is the supply of power units: "Having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go. All eleven teams should be as independent as possible." Brown said he raised these concerns during the most recent Concorde Agreement negotiations, a set of contracts that define the commercial and regulatory framework of the sport. He believes the issue is being addressed, but warns that past incidents show the need for stricter safeguards: "We’ve seen incidents in the past and we need to do away with it, not increase it." While acknowledging Red Bull’s two‑decade investment in the sport and the historical context of their acquisition of the struggling Minardi team in 2005, Brown argues that the model should not be replicated. "I’m glad to see, quite frankly, that the Racing Bulls and the Red Bull don’t look like the same race car," he said, noting that the two entries now appear distinct on the grid.
He also mentioned conversations with Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s team principal, who has been transparent about the challenges of managing a dual‑team operation. The Concorde Agreement discussions have even touched on the possibility that one of the co‑owned teams might eventually need to be divested to preserve competition.
Brown expressed appreciation for what Red Bull has contributed to Formula 1, but cautioned that expanding the multi‑team model would be a mistake for the sport’s future. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, when asked about the potential Alpine investment, clarified that the German manufacturer does not intend to turn Alpine into a junior team to its works outfit.
Instead, Wolff said Mercedes is simply evaluating whether a minority stake makes commercial sense: "We are looking at it from different angles, and we haven’t come to any conclusions. We want to know whether it makes sense." Other interested parties have also emerged, including a consortium that features former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, indicating that the market for Alpine’s share is competitive. Brown’s remarks arrive as the 2024 season heads toward its next race weekend, with the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 1‑3, featuring the second Sprint event of the year.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available via NOW without a long‑term contract. The ongoing debate over team ownership structures promises to remain a focal point of Formula 1’s governance discussions as the sport continues to evolve.