McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has once again voiced his long‑standing objections to the growing trend of multi‑team ownership and close technical alliances within Formula 1, a stance that has gained fresh relevance after reports that Mercedes is contemplating the purchase of a minority share in Alpine. Brown has consistently warned against what he labels "A‑B teams" – situations where one outfit enjoys a deeper, often hidden, relationship with another through shared ownership, technical partnerships, or other forms of collaboration that can blur the line between independent competitors.
The issue is not new. Red Bull has owned two separate entries since 2005, initially taking over the struggling Minardi operation and re‑branding it as Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has maintained a long‑standing technical partnership with Haas, supplying engines and aerodynamic data. Most recently, it emerged that Mercedes is among several parties interested in acquiring the 24 percent stake in Alpine currently held by the U.S. investment firm Otro Capital. The majority of Alpine is owned by the Renault Group, with former F1 magnate Flavio Briatore, who serves as the Enstone team’s executive advisor, noting that "normally in one company, 75 percent decides and the 25 percent is a passenger, and this is the reality." While such arrangements are technically permissible under the sport’s regulations, Brown – whose own McLaren cars run on Mercedes power units – argued that his concerns apply universally, regardless of which manufacturers or teams are involved.
"I frown upon it," he said, emphasizing that any cross‑team ties should be limited to the simple provision of customer engines and nothing more. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Brown reiterated a message he has been delivering for a decade: "I've been saying for 10 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 cited concrete examples that illustrate his point. At the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, for instance, Daniel Ricciardo, driving for the Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri), took a point away from McLaren, indirectly benefitting Max Verstappen and Red Bull. "We have seen fastest laps from one team, Daniel Ricciardo [when driving for Racing Bulls] take a point away from McLaren to help Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull," Brown noted.
Brown also highlighted the transfer of intellectual property and personnel as another area of concern. "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," he explained.
The rapid movement of engineers, aerodynamicists, and data analysts between affiliated teams can give one side a hidden edge that the cost‑cap system is not designed to address. To illustrate the potential distortion of competition, Brown offered a football analogy at a McLaren media event.
"Can you imagine a Premier League game and you've got two teams owned by the same group? One's going to get relegated if they lose.
The other can afford to lose. That's what we run the risk of," he said.
In such a scenario, the financial safety net of a wealthy parent club could undermine the competitive balance that underpins any sport. Brown’s solution is straightforward: keep the relationship between teams limited to the supply of power units. "So I think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.
And then in my view, all 11 teams should be absolutely as independent as possible," he asserted. He added that he raised these concerns during the most recent Concorde Agreement negotiations, which involve all of the sport’s key stakeholders.
"I think it's being managed now, but we've seen incidents in the past and we need to do away with it, not increase it," he said. Despite his criticism, Brown acknowledged the positive contributions of Red Bull’s investment model over the past two decades. He recognized that Red Bull’s acquisition of Minardi was a strategic move that helped preserve a historic entry and eventually produced a successful second team. However, he cautioned against replicating that model without strict safeguards.
"I'm glad to see, quite frankly, that the Racing Bulls and the Red Bull don't look like the same race car," he remarked, indicating that visible differentiation is essential. Brown also referenced ongoing dialogue with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, noting that the Austrian outfit has been surprisingly open about the challenges of multi‑team ownership. "He's the only one who's got two teams and he's been very open and transparent: 'hey, if you see something that you don't like, let's just chat about it.' So I think they recognise it and don't want to push the envelope," Brown said.
The conversation around ownership structures has also featured in the latest Concorde Agreement talks. There have been discussions about whether, over time, one of the affiliated teams should be divested to preserve competition. Brown emphasized that while he respects the historical achievements of teams like Red Bull, any expansion of the multi‑team model would be a mistake for the sport’s long‑term health.
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 squad for its works team. Instead, Wolff said the group is simply evaluating the strategic merits of a minority stake. "We are looking at it from different angles, and we haven't come to any conclusions.
We want to know whether it makes sense," he explained. Other interested parties include a consortium featuring former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, highlighting that the prospect of reshaping Alpine’s ownership is attracting a diverse set of investors.
As the sport heads into its next round of races – with the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 1‑3, featuring the second Sprint weekend of the season – the debate over multi‑team ownership is likely to continue. Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, and the broader discussion about preserving the integrity and independence of each of Formula 1’s eleven competitors remains a central theme for team principals, regulators, and stakeholders alike.