Brown seeking rule change to prevent F1 'embarrassment'

McLaren CEO Zak Brown is seeking the removal of voting rights from F1 teams as part of the new Concorde Agreement. 

The Concorde is the contract which binds the teams to Formula 1 and the FIA, with it also mapping out the financial and regulatory frameworks of grand prix racing. 

The current agreement was signed in 2020 and came into force on January 1st, 2021 and introduced the budget cap on teams, and is set to expire at the end of 2025, with talks already underway for the new agreement to take effect on January 1st, 2026.

At the moment, major rule tweaks, such as the idea for points down to 12th place that was discussed earlier this year, are put in front of the F1 Commission, which is made up of all 10 teams, F1 and the FIA for a vote. 

If successful, this is then passed to the World Motor Sport Council for formal ratification and adoption, although there have been calls for teams to be stripped of their voting power as participants in the sport, with F1 and the FIA deciding on matters. 

It is something Brown is keen to see happen in the next Concorde.

"In my view, which I have been consistent on, I'd like to see the teams have less authority, still with as much of a voice, through voting for all these different things that we vote on," he told media including RacingNews365.

"I'd like to see us get rid of majority votes and get to a simple 50% [threshold for passing] as something could get through because we're all conflicted in some way at some point and the threshold for teams to be able to rally together and block something is there. 

"Whether it is an A-B team issue, whether it is a manufacturer issue, I think we do need to give more of the power back to Formula 1 and the FIA to do what they think is right for the sport. 

"We are our own worst problem at times.

"Not everyone is on the same page, because they want to have the ability to influence the outcomes, and it can be pretty embarrassing at times in the team principal meetings."

Norris problem

Brown offered an example of teams changing stance around their votes with the situation around Lando Norris in the 2021 season, when he reached 10 penalty points, two away from triggering a race ban. 

Brown described how he made the case that Norris's points, for the most part were not for dangerous actions and how Alpine's Otmar Szafnauer voted against relaxing the rules, only to be faced with a similar situation with his new driver Pierre Gasly for the start of 2023.

"An example is when Lando was up on penalty points [three] years ago, we made our case that actually the majority of the points were not dangerous," Brown added.

"Otmar was against it because everyone wanted to get Lando, and fast forward 12 months,  Gasly is up against it and Otmar brings forward the exact same case we brought forward and we were like: 'Dude, you voted against that last year' and he was like: 'I did?'

"He didn't even know what he had voted on and that is not healthy because it shows that one year, it might work for you, and the following year, it might not. 

"Therefore, to take this 'what is good for me' vote out of the system, you've just got to stand back and let the FIA and F1 regulate for the fairness of the sport, which means you are going to win some and lose some. 

"There could be times that we lose in the short-term because we would have liked to block something, but I believe McLaren wants to race in a fair and sporting way, which means that sometimes it might go for you, sometimes it might go against you. 

"But over the long haul, if we're all in a sport that is about total fairness and where things are equal for everyone, I just that is just a better sport and what we all want."