McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has renewed his criticism of Red Bull’s dual-team ownership model, describing the relationship between Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls as detrimental to Formula 1’s sporting integrity. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Brown expressed his long-standing opposition to what he terms “A/B teams,” arguing that co-ownership arrangements create unfair advantages and compromise competitive fairness in the championship.
Brown’s latest comments reference the controversial 2024 Singapore Grand Prix incident, where Daniel Ricciardo, then driving for Red Bull’s sister team, secured the fastest lap to deny McLaren’s Lando Norris a crucial championship point while simultaneously benefiting Max Verstappen’s title campaign. “We’ve seen fastest laps from one team. Daniel Ricciardo take a point away from McLaren to help Max and Red Bull,” Brown stated, using this example to highlight his concerns about potential race manipulation.
The McLaren executive outlined several competitive advantages he believes Red Bull gains through their sister team structure, including intellectual property transfers, overnight staff movements that circumvent gardening leave periods, and cost cap benefits. Brown contrasted this with his own team’s situation, noting he must wait until 2028 for certain personnel moves while Red Bull can transfer staff immediately between their organizations.
To illustrate his point about sporting integrity, Brown drew parallels to English football, asking audiences to imagine two Premier League teams under common ownership facing each other in a final match where one needs points to avoid relegation while the other has nothing to play for. “How fair is that for sport?” he questioned, arguing that such scenarios undermine competitive credibility.
The Red Bull sister team operation has historically served as a driver development pathway, launching careers for Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo into the main Red Bull squad. However, other talented drivers like Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and Pierre Gasly either moved elsewhere after recognizing limited promotion opportunities or were demoted after brief stints with the primary team, with Sainz now regarded as a driver Red Bull may regret not retaining.