Zak Brown raises his voice again against Red Bull. The McLaren boss sent a strong letter to the FIA president to denounce the double team system in Formula 1.
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The political conflict between McLaren and Red Bull takes on a new dimension. Zak Brown has officially written to the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to demand a tightening of the rules regarding links between certain Formula 1 teams.
For several years, the American executive has openly criticized the current model allowing the same group to own two teams on the grid. Red Bull GmbH indeed controls both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, a situation that Brown considers problematic for sporting fairness.
The McLaren CEO now believes that this system no longer has a place in a modern F1 where teams are financially stable thanks to the budget cap and the strong economic growth of the championship.
Brown points out several very sensitive examples
In this letter, a copy of which was seen by RacingNews365, Zak Brown details several recent situations he finds concerning regarding the collaboration between the two Red Bull structures.
The McLaren boss notably refers to the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. During this race, Daniel Ricciardo, then a Racing Bulls driver, made a pit stop on the last lap to try to secure the fastest lap in the race.
A maneuver that deprived Lando Norris of the bonus point and indirectly helped Max Verstappen in the fight for the world championship.
Brown considers this episode a concrete example of a strategy likely to compromise the sporting integrity of the championship.
Miami also in the sights
The American executive also mentions the recent Miami Grand Prix. According to him, Racing Bulls asked Liam Lawson to give back a position to Max Verstappen after a first-lap incident involving both drivers.
This instruction would have allowed the Red Bull driver to limit the damage after his spin at turn 2.
For Zak Brown, this type of situation inevitably fuels suspicions about the real independence of the two structures.
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The transfer of Laurent Mekies raises questions
Another sensitive subject addressed in this letter: the immediate transfer of Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls to Red Bull in summer 2025 to replace Christian Horner.
Brown points out that the Frenchman did not have to respect a “gardening leave” period, unlike some practices imposed between competing teams.
The McLaren boss notably compares this situation to the recruitment of Rob Marshall by McLaren from Red Bull, which required a long waiting period as well as significant financial compensation.
The recent recruitment of Andrea Landi by Red Bull, from Racing Bulls, also reinforces his questions about the real internal barriers between the two teams.
The FIA ready to open the file
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has already hinted recently that the FIA is seriously studying the issue of multi-ownership in Formula 1.
“Owning two teams is probably not the right solution” acknowledged the FIA president, while admitting that the subject remains legally complex.
The Emirati executive however specified that the federation is currently analyzing the different regulatory possibilities to determine if this model should evolve in the coming years.
A political battle far from over
With this official letter, Zak Brown clearly launches a new political offensive against Red Bull. The McLaren boss now seeks to push the FIA to act concretely on a subject that has divided the paddock for a long time.
Even if Red Bull regularly defends the independence of Racing Bulls, this controversy could quickly take on even greater proportions if other teams publicly support McLaren’s position.
One thing now seems certain: the debate around satellite teams is far from over in Formula 1.
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