F1 News: McLaren boss takes aim at Daniel Ricciardo's final act

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren boss takes aim at Daniel Ricciardo's final act in F1

Daniel Ricciardo's former F1 boss didn't like a certain act

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 26 April 2026 21:55 Updated: 22:00

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently used Daniel Ricciardo's final race in F1 as an example to illustrate a long-held grudge in the sport.

Brown has become increasingly vocal against the potential prospect of Mercedes purchasing Otro Capital's 24 per cent stake in Alpine F1 team, given fears they could use the Enstone squad as a sister team.

Red Bull have operated with a B-team since 2006, when the energy drinks brand also purchased Minardi in 2006 and transformed the Faenza squad into Toro Rosso.

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While Red Bull's sister team have been through various guises in the past 20 years – Alpha Tauri, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and now Racing Bulls – the essence of the team has remained the same.

The team acts as a finishing school for young Red Bull talent before they are promoted, and on the rare occasion, also have a sporting role to play.

Brown makes feelings clear on F1 sister teams

Racing Bulls' most recent act of benevolence towards Red Bull occurred in 2024 during the Singapore Grand Prix, which was Aussie star Daniel Ricciardo's last race in the sport.

Ricciardo helped Max Verstappen steal a championship point from Lando Norris by setting the fastest lap of the race, with the Red Bull team openly acknowledging the strategic choice to use their sister team in this instance and Verstappen thanked Ricciardo.

Brown – who was Ricciardo's boss at McLaren from 2021 to 2022 – took aim at this strategic act in conversation with Sky Sports, illustrating his wider distaste for A and B teams in Formula 1.

"I've been saying for 10 years, I don't like co-ownership. I don't like AB teams. I think it runs a high risk of compromising the sporting integrity of the sport," he explained.

"We've seen fastest laps from one team. You know, Daniel Ricardo take a point away from McLaren to help Max Verstappen and Red Bull."