McLaren campaigns for secrecy of F1 Commission vote

Despite the unanimous ratification of the 2021-2025 Concorde Agreements, the alliance games between the top teams and their client teams continue to annoy independent structures like McLaren. 

Zak Brown, CEO of the British team, was moved by these affiliations, which he is close to resembling a feudal system. 

In a long article signed by his pen and published on the official McLaren website, the American wants the votes to be cast anonymously  at Commission level F1, in order to limit the pressure exerted by large teams on the structures they supply with engines and parts. 

« Strengthening ties between teams is not a healthy development for our sport, Brown is alarmed. 

It is not in the interests of competition to have 2 or 3 rivals who share the same resources and align their strategy accordingly. One of the founding principles of F1 is to have open competition between manufacturers. This is not a one-make championship. 

I don't want to see the number of teams fall but affiliations between teams remain a concern because these connections do not promote equal opportunities. F1 governance needs to be further overhauled on these issues

There have always been conflicts of interest in F1 and that won't change any time soon. It is therefore all the more crucial that F1 and the FIA, whose sole aim is to make the sport grow and win, take the necessary decisions in the interest of the discipline, without being hindered or slowed down all the time ». 

The F1 governance method has undergone a recent facelift following the adoption of the new Concorde Agreements, with the demise of the Strategic Group and the establishment of a revamped F1 Commission. This chamber now brings together 30 votes, 10 for F1, 10 for the FIA, and 10 for the teams. Adoption of a new measure requires a majority of 25 or 28 votes depending on the calendar. 

In this context, we can therefore imagine that a team like Mercedes can derail a project with the help of its partners Aston Martin, Williams, and, ironically, McLaren! Same remark for Ferrari with Haas et Alfa Romeo, or Red Bull et Alpha Tauri naturally. 

« As things currently stand, the major directions for the future can be stopped by a minority, not the majority., continues Brown. The result is all the more biased as certain teams vote according to the interests of their partner structure. 

It has happened that a satellite team has voted against its own interests just to satisfy the factory team with which it is affiliated. It's not sport. That’s not what I call putting fans first. 

The situation must be improved and that is why we are campaigning for the secrecy of the ballot now during the F1 Commission meetings ». 

Currently, each member of the Commission receives a summary of votes. With only 10 stables, introducing anonymous voting would not prevent observers from cross-checking or snooping behind the scenes to make informed estimates. But it would already be a form of reinforced protection.