McLaren CEO Zak Brown’s continued staunch opposition to two-team ownership in Formula 1 is a “non-issue”, according to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.
Brown has been consistent of late in his criticism of Red Bull owning two teams in F1: Red Bull Racing and the recently rebranded Visa Cash App RB outfit.
The model has been in place since 2006, but Brown feels the FIA rules should be reinterpreted to end this arrangement in what he believes to be in the spirit of fairness from a technical, sporting and commercial standpoint.
McLaren’s CEO reiterated that position during Thursday’s FIA press conference, saying that in the current cost-cap era of F1, a rethink is needed.
“We now have the budget cap in place, which I think was intended and is working for the most part to bring a level playing field to the sport fiscally and in every other manner,” Brown began.
“No other major sport to my knowledge allows ownership of two teams that compete against each other.
“So I think the sport, as we’re now in the budget cap era, has moved on to where we’re trying to have 10 independent teams from a sporting, from a political, from a technical point of view.
“And so simply, you know, I think they’re very much playing by the rules. I have an issue with the rules and believe FIA needs to address this.”
Horner responded to Brown’s concerns at length, first of all dismissing claims that in no other sporting competition do two teams compete under the same owner, referencing Red Bull’s two football teams RB Leipzig and FC Red Bull Salzburg that competed in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
From there, Horner spoke at length regarding the history of the Faenza-based VCARB outfit, beginning with its inception as Toro Rosso, when the late Red Bull owner/founder Dietrich Mateschitz bought out minnows Minardi.
Horner noted that Mateschitz saved a Minardi team that “was perennially struggling, insolvent and on the brink of bankruptcy,” and “invested significantly in their Faenza facilities based in Italy” ahead of the team’s first season of competition in 2006.
The Red Bull boss then praised the parent company for keeping both its teams afloat during the global recession in 2008 amid the likes of Toyota, BMW and Honda leaving the sport in the wake of the financial crisis, saying that “Red Bull remained resolute and they continued to support both teams through that difficult period.
“The regulations then evovled, obviously and the Faenza-based team had to become their own manufacturer and so further investment was made in the infrastructure in Faenza,” Horner added.
“We then had Covid where Red Bull once again stepped up and stuck by both teams in its entirety. In fact Red Bull was responsible for getting Formula One going again after Covid with two races that were introduced to get the sport going again following the pandemic [the 2020 Austrian and Styria GPs at the Red Bull Ring].
“So the commitment that Red Bull has made to Formula One, the commitment that Red Bull has made to these two teams is outstanding and should be applauded and be grateful for rather than derided and tried to compromise.”
Horner went on to call the two outfits “totally separate,” pointing out that one team is based in Italy and another in the UK, although it is worth noting that VCARB does have a UK base in Bicester, soon to be moved to Milton Keynes.
But Horner added: “The one [VCARB] that is based in Italy has a far larger turnover of staff that end up in Maranello than that end up in Milton Keynes.
“They have different personalities, they have different characters and they comply continually with the regulations.”
Horner figures that the relationship between Red Bull and VCARB is “far less tight than some of the teams that enjoy very tight relationships with their engine manufacturers.
“I would take it as a compliment if I was Laurent [Mekies] that this issue is being raised now because with a change of stewardship.
“The team has the opportunity to get its act together – they’ve got two quality drivers, they’re introducing quality people into that team and we expect them to be a competitor not just of the rest of the field but indeed of Red Bull Racing.
“I don’t understand the fuss about it. I don’t understand the noise that’s being created about it.
“And I think Red Bull should actually be applauded for the support and the commitment and the jobs that they’ve provided through the good times and particularly the bad times. So for me, it really is a non-issue.”
Mekies was also involved in the debate having taken the post of Team Principal in Faenza in the New Year, replacing the long-serving Franz Tost at the helm.
“There are regulations and our job is to maximize what we can do with these regulations,” Mekies addressed.
“I think it’s also good to remember why we have these regulations that allow us to share some of the components.
“We wanted to have a closer field, less lap time difference between the guy who is winning and the guy who is tenth and it was felt that by allowing some components to be shared, you will avoid to have too much spread between the top and the bottom of the grid.
“Now if you look at the results of the championships last year, and if you add up the points scored by the bottom four teams, we don’t even make up for the points that Bruno [Famin] made in the sixth position.
“Yes, we are in a very good string of years now commercially and with interest in Formula One and it’s fantastic.
“However, there’s a very simple reality that most of the team’s shareholders are still pumping money into it.
“So I think before removing what is a more sustainable alternative into the business model of the teams, we need to have a bit of a long-term view on what it’s going to do for the sport in the next few years.”
