McLaren CEO Zak Brown has written a strongly worded letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem calling for tighter regulations on multi-team ownership in Formula 1, citing specific incidents involving Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls that he believes compromised sporting fairness.
The letter, which has been seen by media, marks an escalation in Brown’s long-running campaign against dual ownership structures in F1. Red Bull GmbH currently owns both the senior Red Bull Racing team and the junior Racing Bulls outfit, a model Brown argues creates conflicts of interest that would be prohibited in most major sports.
Singapore and Miami Incidents Highlighted
Brown pointed to two recent race incidents as evidence of problematic team orders between the sister squads. At the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Racing Bulls brought Daniel Ricciardo into the pits on the final lap specifically to attempt the fastest lap — successfully stripping the bonus point from McLaren’s Lando Norris in a move that aided Max Verstappen’s championship battle.
The manoeuvre had major championship implications. By denying Norris that point, it meant Verstappen could finish second to Norris in the remaining races and still claim the drivers’ title. Ricciardo, who was not fighting for championship position himself, executed the strategy purely to benefit the senior Red Bull team.
More recently at the Miami Grand Prix, Brown cited Racing Bulls instructing Liam Lawson to give position back to Verstappen after the Red Bull driver appeared to force Lawson off track on the opening lap. The incident occurred as Verstappen recovered from a Turn 2 spin, with Lawson effectively ordered to assist his parent team’s championship contender.
Personnel Transfers Raise Questions
Brown also raised concerns about the movement of senior staff between the two Red Bull-owned teams. Laurent Mekies transferred from Racing Bulls team principal to Red Bull Racing team principal in July 2025 to replace the dismissed Christian Horner — with immediate effect and no gardening leave period.
By contrast, Brown noted that when McLaren poached Rob Marshall from Red Bull, the aerodynamicist served nine months of gardening leave and McLaren paid substantial compensation. More recently, Red Bull announced the signing of Andrea Landi from Racing Bulls on April 17th, with a July 1st start date.
“This reinforces the perception that internal firewalls are not operating in a way that would be accepted between genuinely independent competitors,” Brown wrote, suggesting the transfers indicate a level of operational integration inconsistent with true team independence.
Brown added that dual ownership potentially creates benefits in wind tunnel development and software work that wouldn’t be available to single-team operations.
FIA Investigating
Speaking to media in Miami, Ben Sulayem indicated the FIA is examining the multi-team ownership question. “I feel ownership of two teams, as long as it’s for the right reason…And what is the right reason?” he said. “As long as you are not trying to take it because you don’t want others to take it, or also get voting power when it comes to the regulations, then maybe it’s okay.”
“But then I do believe that owning two is not the right way. This is my personal point of view. We are looking into it because it’s a complicated area. We have put our people to see if it is possible. Is it allowed? Is it the right thing?”
Brown wrote in April that multi-team ownership “runs a high risk of compromising the integrity of sporting fairness,” though he acknowledged such arrangements served a purpose when teams were financially unstable. With teams now on secure financial footing under the budget cap era, Brown argues the justification for dual ownership has disappeared.
Brown concluded his letter by welcoming further discussions with the FIA on potential regulatory changes. The governing body has not announced a timeline for any rule amendments, though Ben Sulayem’s comments suggest the matter is under active review ahead of future regulatory discussions.