FIA reviewing multi-team ownership rules amid Red Bull scrutiny

Red Bull

FIA reviewing multi-team ownership rules amid Red Bull scrutiny

Should Red Bull and Racing Bulls both be allowed to compete?

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 13 May 2026 19:00

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has indicated that Formula 1’s governing body is examining the issue of teams owning multiple entries on the grid, a topic that has recently sparked renewed debate involving Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

Red Bull entered Formula 1 in 2005 and quickly expanded its presence by purchasing a second team, with the Faenza-based operation rebranded as Toro Rosso ahead of the 2006 season.

Over the years, the sister outfit has competed under several different identities, including AlphaTauri and VCARB, before officially becoming Racing Bulls for the 2025 campaign.

Article continues under video

That sister team is used to blood young drivers in the sport, making sure that they are ready to be full-time F1 drivers, before offering them a promotion into the main Red Bull team, but both teams are owned by the energy drinks giant.

Examples of drivers who have been promoted into the main Red Bull team after driving for the sister team include Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Isack Hadjar.

But McLaren and Red Bull are known to not have the best relationship as rivals. Last year, Red Bull accused McLaren of a tyre cooling trick, something which was thrown out by the FIA but led Brown to mock the team on the pit wall.

On top of this, Red Bull's former team principal Christian Horner described Brown as a 'p****' following the American's comments about previous investigations surrounding Horner's conduct, which resulted in the Brit being cleared of any wrongdoing.

So is this just a Brown and McLaren gripe, or are the FIA genuinely concerned about multi-team ownership?

What does the FIA think about Red Bull and Racing Bulls' partnership?

FIA president Ben Sulayem has defended multi-team ownership, but has also suggested that the FIA are further investigating it.

Ben Sulayem told Reuters that multi-team ownership could be acceptable if done for the 'right reasons.'

"As long as you are not trying to take it (the stake) because you don't want others to take it, or also get voting power when it comes to the regulations, then maybe it's OK," he said.

"But then I do believe that owning two is not the right way, this is my personal point of view, but we are looking into that because it's a complicated area."

F1 Red Bull FIA Zak Brown Racing Bulls Mohammed Ben Sulayem