McLaren urge FIA to act on key Red Bull relationship with ‘wider F1 interest’ highlighted. (PF1)
Zak's not letting up
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has urged F1’s governing body the FIA to act on blocking close bonds between teams like that between Red Bull and their junior outfit.
After RB chief executive Peter Bayer dismissed the McLaren chief’s complaints as “paranoia” on Tuesday, Brown has insisted he has the best interests of the sport at heart.
Asked if he is paranoid about Red Bull’s relationship with their sister team, Brown told Sky Sports: “No, I’m actually speaking in the wider interest of the sport.
“If you look at every other major sport, you’re not allowed to own two teams – and I’d even go further.
“There’s A-B team relationships and when these started 15 years ago it was because there was a huge gap between the top teams and the bottom teams.
“Now that there’s this great budget cap in place, all 10 teams are pretty much running to the cap so we have an equal playing field.
“So to have two ownerships, I can tell you from sitting in the FIA and F1 Commission meetings the voting is always the same even when, in theory, it shouldn’t be in one of the team’s best interests.
“We’ve seen it on track, some collaborations going on, and then technically they’ve been very forthright in where they’re going to take the suspension, etc.
“The definition of a constructor is a team who develops their own IP, so I just think the sport’s now moved on to an equal playing field.
“To have A-B relationships, to have co-ownership of two teams, I think isn’t a level playing field.
“That’s not what the fans expect and so the FIA really needs to do something about it.”
"When a man holds you round the throat, I don't think he has come to apologise"
Ayrton Senna on Nigel Mansell, SPA 1987.