Zak Brown praises F1 and the FIA’s work on cost cap and overall growth of the sport, but once again brings up the Red Bull and AlphaTauri ownership topic.
In its post-season letter to fans, McLaren chief Brown has praised the efforts made by F1 and FIA with regards to cost cap to bring parity in the financial structure of the teams. He feels such move will attract several OEMs and also teams to compete in the grid.
But Brown has once again picked up the topic regarding the ownership structure. He feels the way how Red Bull is not only holding its own senior team but also owning AlphaTauri as well. He cites the example of major sports leagues which don’t allow it to happen.
He states that the current way becomes unhealthy for rivals as there is data sharing and even data gathering between two F1 outfits which will help in development. Brown wants debate and changes as they discuss the next Concorde Agreement details.
“From a regulatory perspective, both the FIA and Formula 1 also need to be given credit for the budget cap, which has introduced a fairness and a parity to the competition that didn’t exist before,” states Brown. “This has also seen a tremendous amount of value created for the teams, hence all the new investors, and an overall grid that is the most competitive it’s ever been. I can’t think of a single team, OEM, investor, or owner that doesn’t 100% support the cost cap.
“That said, there is an opportunity to improve some of the other processes in Formula 1 to strengthen the values of fairness and competition. The sport is not perfect, and as we look ahead to negotiating the next Concorde Agreement to unite the governing body with the teams and commercial rights holders, we should prioritise some of those rules that currently impact the impartiality between competitors.
“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/personnel, or even having influence over a strategic vote, it’s not in the spirit of the regulations.
“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 1 should be true to its brand, and every team – except Power Units – should be totally independent of each other.
“I believe Formula 1 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 1. Part sharing of information, shared ownership models, and strategic alliances within the sporting fabric of Formula 1 will only serve to undermine the fans’ belief in fair and fierce competition,” summed up Brown.
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