Zak Brown says Red Bull’s A‑Team/B‑Team Model Threatens F1 Fairness

McLaren chief Zak Brown has once again warned that Red Bull’s ownership of two F1 entries – Red Bull Racing and the newly‑branded Racing Bulls – jeopardizes the sport’s competitive fairness. He argues that A‑team/B‑team structures blur the line between independent outfits, skew the cost cap and risk alienating fans.

Why it matters:

• A shared talent pool gives one team an edge over the other eleven.
• Fans want 11 truly independent teams; co‑ownership can erode that trust.
• Undisclosed staff or IP moves undermine the cost‑cap and create hidden subsidies.

The details:

• Racing Bulls may not get chief racing officer Gianpiero Lambiase until 2028, highlighting Red Bull’s deep talent pool.
• Red Bull poached Andrea Landi as head of performance in July.
• Brown cites Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest‑lap point in Singapore 2024, which helped the sister team, as a concrete on‑track example.
• IP disputes – Aston Martin’s break‑duct case, staff swaps between Ferrari and Haas – show co‑ownership blurs legal lines.

What's next:

• Brown urges the FIA to ban co‑ownership, limit power‑unit suppliers to one team, and a follow‑up will examine regulatory options and Red Bull’s response.