Brown demands “secret ballot voting” after slating “unhealthy” F1 team affiliations

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has called for F1 to introduce "secret ballot voting with immediate effect" to end what he sees as the "unhealthy" rise of team affiliations.

Although F1 is made up of 10 constructors, the fact there are tie-ups between teams has led to the forging of relationships when it comes to voting on certain issues, even if it is to the detriment of the smaller teams.

Brown believes such partnerships are harmful to the sport and has called on the FIA to introduce procedures to allow teams to vote privately without fear of retribution from a senior team.

"There have always been conflicts of interest in Formula 1 and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon, so it’s even more important that F1 and the FIA, who have no other agenda than the whole sport’s success, call the shots in the best interests in F1 and not be blocked and slowed at every turn," wrote Brown in a column on the team's website.

"Currently, decisions about the future of the sport can be halted by a minority, rather than majority, and they are further skewed by some teams’ voting power being in favour of their affiliated team partner.

"There have even been instances when an affiliated team, to satisfy its bigger partner, has voted in favour of a clear disadvantage to itself. This isn’t sport. This isn’t putting the fans first.

"It is a situation that must be addressed and so we call for secret ballot voting to be implemented in all F1 Commission meetings with immediate effect.

"In other sports, the regulatory body has the power of governance because they always focus on what is in the best interests of the sport overall, which should be the key consideration in Formula 1.

"With a change in the voting procedures, it could lead to more agile decision-making that would ultimately benefit the interests of the fans and in doing so the sport at large, including the participants."

Brown continued by explaining his opinion that having multiple constructors racing in fundamentally different machinery is what differentiates F1 from other single-make competitions.

Brown added: "The rise of team affiliations has become unhealthy for our sport. It is not in the best interests of competition if two rivals, or even three, share assets and align strategically.

"One of the fundamental principles of Formula 1, as opposed to other one-make racing series, is an open competition between constructors.

"I do not wish to see the number of teams in F1 reduce, but team affiliations remain an issue because they do not promote a level playing field. This is where further changes need to be made to the governance of Formula 1."

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