Zak Brown versus sister stables: "I don't think it's good for the sport."

Zak Brown's position on the matter hasn't changed one iota in ten years. The CEO of McLaren is one of the most consistent opponents of the affiliated stable models in Formula 1and recent events have provided him with new arguments. The transfer of Gianpiero Lambiase — race engineer of Max Verstappen in Red Bull for a decade — towards McLaren illustrates, according to him, the distortions created by this system: McLaren will potentially have to wait until 2028 to get its future racing operations director back, while Red Bull was able to recruit Andrea Landi in two months from its own sister team, Racing Bulls: "When we see other teams switching from one team to another, especially without financial compensation, it constitutes an unfair financial advantage, it is an unfair sporting advantage.", says Brown.

For the American executive, the problem goes beyond the simple issue of personnel transfers. Sporting integrity itself is at stake, as several recent episodes have shown. He cites, among other things, the controversy surrounding the « Mercedes Benz pink " in 2020, when Racing Point reproduced Mercedes' brake hoses in an intellectual property infringement scandal. The case of Daniel Ricciardo — then at Racing Bulls — which had deprived McLaren of a fastest lap point at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix to disadvantage Red Bull's direct competitor, or the regular personnel movements between Classic Ferrari for sale et Haas. "We know that intellectual property is a lot to manage, so when you put it all together..."he concluded, leaving his sentence unfinished but the message perfectly clear.

The example of football and the Mercedes questionAlpine

To illustrate the inherent risk of co-ownership, Brown uses a particularly apt football analogy: "Can you imagine a Premier League match where two teams from the same group face off, one risking relegation if they lose, while the other can afford to lose? That's exactly the risk we're taking." This example is all the more relevant given that Red Bull has a vast empire in European football, even though most domestic leagues already have safeguards against this type of situation — such as Crystal Palace, recently relegated from the Europa League to the Conference League due to links between its owners and Olympique Lyonnais.

The question has become particularly pressing in recent weeks with discussions surrounding a possible takeover by Mercedes of the 24% stake that Otro Capital holds in AlpineZak Brown is not specifically targeting Mercedes – its engine supplier – but he is categorical on the principle: "This applies to everyone, without exception. Whether it's sister teams or co-ownership, regardless of who is involved, I disapprove of this practice. I don't think it's good for the sport."

He acknowledges a certain tolerance for the Red Bull-Racing Bulls situation, inherited from an agreement reached in 2005, but rejects any idea of ​​extending the model: "The Concorde agreement included the possibility of eventually selling one of the Red Bull teams. But adding another would, in my opinion, be a mistake for the sport." While nothing is yet confirmed between Mercedes and AlpineThe British leader has already made his opinion on this possibility very clear.

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