Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren, has reiterated his disapproval of close relationships between Formula 1 teams, particularly those with shared ownership or technical partnerships. His comments come as Mercedes considers acquiring a minority stake in Alpine. Brown has long been a vocal critic of what he terms 'A-B teams', where one team has a deeper connection with another, whether through ownership or a technical partnership. This phenomenon is not unique, with Red Bull owning two teams since 2005 and Ferrari maintaining a long-standing technical partnership with Haas.
Mercedes' potential investment in Alpine, which is currently majority-owned by the Renault Group, has sparked debate. Brown believes such arrangements compromise the sport's integrity and should be limited to customer power-unit supply.
He cited examples of fastest laps and points being influenced by these alliances, as well as intellectual property transfers and staff movements that can create unfair advantages. Brown emphasized that all 11 teams should be as independent as possible, comparing the situation to a Premier League game where two teams are owned by the same group, creating an uneven playing field. While acknowledging Red Bull's significant investment in F1 over two decades, Brown thinks their model of owning two teams should not be replicated. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that they are not looking to make Alpine a junior team but are assessing the potential benefits of a minority investment.
With the Miami Grand Prix approaching, the topic of team alliances and investments is likely to remain a point of discussion in the F1 community.