McLaren boss takes swipe at big F1 rivals in scathing open letter

Zak Brown, McLaren — Photo: © LAT Images

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McLaren boss takes swipe at big F1 rivals in scathing open letter

He's been speaking to the McLaren fans after a gruelling season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 23 December 2023 12:57 Updated: 18:53

McLaren CEO Zak Brown appears to have once again taken aim at the 'unhealthy situation' between Red Bull and their sister team AlphaTauri, citing the 'potential damage' that a close relationship between teams can have on competition in sport.

World champions Red Bull have a close working relationship with AlphaTauri, and have done since the Faenza-based outfit were introduced onto the Formula 1 grid back in 2006 under the Toro Rosso name.

Although both teams operate out of different headquarters and compete as separate entities on the track, they are both owned by Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmbH.

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AlphaTauri are believed to be in the process of changing their name, a move which is expected to bring the team even closer to the Red Bull brand.

Despite there being no rules against two teams being owned by the same brand, there are strict rules on how much teams are allowed to share between themselves, rules that Brown has recently been concerned have been broken by the pair and may also have an issue with the relationship between Haas and Ferrari.

Both AlphaTauri and Red Bull enjoy a close working relationship

Sebastian Vettel drove for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso (AlphaTauri), as did Max Verstappen

Pierre Gasly has taken one of only two AlphaTauri victories in their history

Brown concerned by Red Bull partnership

Now, the American has taken a second swipe at his F1 rivals, in an open letter penned to fans at the end of the year.

"We should prioritise some of those rules that currently impact the impartiality between competitors," he said.

"For example, most other major sports prohibit the ownership of two teams within the same league because of the obvious potential damage that it does to competition.

"It’s an unhealthy situation because it impacts decisions made both on and off the track. Whether it’s a case of having access to more data, sharing components or personnel, or even having influence over a strategic vote, it’s not in the spirit of the regulations.

Zak Brown seems unhappy with the Red Bull set-up

"It’s important to stand up for independence, competition and fairness, and I’d like to see changes in the regulations to ensure that in future, they stop influence spreading from one team to another through strategic alliances and especially through ownership.

"Formula One should be true to its brand and every team, except power units, should be totally independent of each other," Brown continued.

"I believe Formula One fans universally believe in fairness in competition and a level playing field, and would reject any actions that compromise the true spirit of competition within Formula One. Part sharing of information, shared ownership models, and strategic alliances within the sporting fabric will only serve to undermine the fans’ belief in fair and fierce competition."

Red Bull McLaren Formula 1 Zak Brown AlphaTauri