Mercedes is among the potential buyers of minority shares in Alpine. Meanwhile, Zak Brown has written to the FIA, calling for an end to multi-team ownership in Formula 1.
The CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown, has sent a formal letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, strongly urging the governing body to ban collaborations between teams and prevent new forms of shared ownership. The issue has returned to the spotlight in recent weeks following Mercedes’ interest in acquiring minority shares in Alpine, currently held by investment fund Otro Capital.
Zak Brown’s letter to the FIA
According to The Race, Brown — concerned about increasingly close relationships between certain teams on the grid — stressed in his letter that Formula 1 has now reached a level of financial stability that makes multi-team ownership unnecessary. According to the American executive, the commercial growth of the championship and the introduction of the budget cap have ensured competitiveness for all teams, removing the need for strategic alliances.
Among the examples cited by the McLaren CEO in the lengthy report submitted to the FIA were several internal dynamics between Red Bull and Racing Bulls, which Brown believes have fuelled the perception of privileged relationships between teams that are officially independent.
On the sporting side, Brown pointed to the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, where Daniel Ricciardo claimed the fastest lap for Racing Bulls, denying Lando Norris a potentially crucial point in his title battle with Max Verstappen.
Brown also referenced the more recent incident in Miami, where — according to the letter — Liam Lawson was allegedly instructed to let Verstappen through during his recovery drive.
Brown also criticized recent personnel movements between the two teams. The McLaren CEO compared the nine months it took for Rob Marshall to move from Red Bull to McLaren with the rapid transfer of Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls to Red Bull, which was completed in just a few days.
Among the strongest passages of the letter, published by The Race, Brown openly called for the elimination of multi-team ownership in Formula 1: “We need to eliminate any further alliances, whether through ownership, strategic participation or any other equivalent form of control or influence, and we need to work together quickly to start the process of unwinding those already established to ensure that the future integrity of the sport is not compromised“.
The issue is now on the FIA’s table, as it faces a topic that could significantly reshape the balance of power within Formula 1.
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