McLaren CEO Zak Brown has once again expressed his concerns about the partnership between Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. The American wants the sport to look at the regulations and make adjustments where necessary. Brown does not think it is fair that teams can enter into such a collaboration, especially now that the collaboration between the two racing stables will be more intensive.
Last year, when it emerged that Red Bull and AlphaTauri were going to work more intensively together, Brown expressed all his concerns. These concerns have not diminished in recent months. “I would like to see the sport focus on where we are on the regulatory side with the co-ownership of A/B teams,” the McLaren CEO told Motorsport.com. ‘I believe it is a serious problem for the fairness of the sport. That’s why it’s not allowed in any other major sport.”
The more intensive collaboration between Red Bull and AlphaTauri stems from the dissatisfaction of the Austrian racing team. The sister team has not performed properly in recent seasons and this must change. AlphaTauri is moving to the United Kingdom and, according to Brown, that is ‘to the benefit of both teams’. “So this A/B teaming and co-ownership, which is a whole different level of A/B teaming, is a big concern for us for the health of the sport and the fairness of the sport.”
The FIA has not yet done anything about Brown’s concerns. Previously, team bosses were concerned about the collaboration between Haas and Ferrari, but the rules were adhered to. For the time being, this is also the case with regard to the collaboration between Red Bull and AlphaTauri. ‘When these rules were introduced, the sport was very different. We had a huge divide between teams like us, who had huge budgets, and smaller teams. Now everyone is almost at the limit, if not at the limit.”
Brown does not see Norris leaving for Red Bull
AlphaTauri is no longer seen purely as a training team for Red Bull. Now that the second seat at the Austrian racing stable for 2025 is still open, the team can look at other drivers. Lando Norris has been mentioned frequently. “You can’t counter the approaches of other teams, but I am confident in the relationship we have with Lando, and he was very impressed with what was done in the second half of last year. He enjoys working with Andrea and all members of the team. We have to keep moving forward and guarantee him the environment he wants to be in. I am confident he will stay with us,” Brown said.
