Zak Brown Urges FIA to Change Rules on Shared Ownership of A/B Teams in Formula 1
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has called on the FIA to officially discuss legislation to eliminate shared ownership of teams in Formula 1, citing concerns over integrity and potential coordinated sporting interests.
Zak Brown has written to the FIA president calling for a rule change regarding the shared ownership of A/B teams. In his letter to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem earlier this week, McLaren's CEO expressed concerns about the integrity of teams with shared ownership.
This issue has gained momentum in recent months following news of Mercedes' interest in acquiring a 24% stake in the Alpine F1 team. Alpine's Flavio Briatore confirmed negotiations between Otro Capital and Mercedes during the Chinese Grand Prix. If completed, this move would further strengthen existing links between teams, as Alpine is currently a customer team of Mercedes this season.
Brown cited several examples of perceived coordinated sporting interests, such as the potential use of drivers from rival teams to slow down other competitors, as well as the frequent movement of personnel between affiliated teams. Examples include senior figures like Laurent Mekies, who joined Red Bull immediately after a leadership change, and the upcoming transfer of Andrea Landi from Racing Bulls to Red Bull. "While this may have been acceptable in the past, it is increasingly clear that these structures create unpredictable but very real consequences," he said.
Brown is calling for a ban on any future shared ownership agreements and for the FIA to begin exploring stricter regulation of existing satellite teams. Zak, admit it, you just want a B team too?
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