Brown takes aim at 'unhealthy' AlphaTauri and Red Bull alliance

McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes the alliance between AlphaTauri and Red Bull is "not in the spirit of the regulations" as questions are raised in Formula 1.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently announced that the team would strengthen their alliance with AlphaTauri amid its change of management, in a bid to change their poor performance from recent seasons.

AlphaTauri's links to Red Bull have been scrutinised in F1 before, when they were under the guise of Toro Rosso during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

In 2008 Toro Rosso won their first race at Monza with a car that was similar to the Red Bull, with former Team Principal Franz Tost recalling how the governing body changed the rules to make it harder for them to share resources.

These concerns have been renewed as AlphaTauri is set to rely on Red Bull more in whichever way the regulations can permit, while the FIA has assured that it is closely monitoring the alliance.

Brown: It's an unhealthy situation

In an open letter, Brown has expressed his concerns over their partnership potentially impacting their independence and sharing of resources to gain an advantage.

“Most other major sports prohibit the ownership of two teams within the same league because of the obvious potential damage that it does to competition," said Brown.

“It’s an unhealthy situation because it impacts decisions made both on and off the track. Whether it’s a case of having access to more data, sharing components/personnel, or even having influence over a strategic vote, it’s not in the spirit of the regulations.

“It’s important to stand up for independence, competition and fairness, and I’d like to see changes in the regulations to ensure that in future, they stop influence spreading from one team to another through strategic alliances and especially through ownership. Formula 1 should be true to its brand, and every team – except power units – should be totally independent of each other.

“I believe Formula 1 fans universally believe in fairness in competition and a level playing field, and would reject any actions that compromise the true spirit of competition within Formula 1.

“Part sharing of information, shared ownership models, and strategic alliances within the sporting fabric of Formula 1 will only serve to undermine the fans’ belief in fair and fierce competition.”