Red Bull make surprising concession despite apparent conflict of interest

Laurent Mekies maintains Red Bull would support further steps to ensure sporting independence between F1's 11 teams, even though its parent company also owns Racing Bulls.

The Milton Keynes-based squad has faced considerable scrutiny of late over the contentious issue, after McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown brought the subject back to the fore.

Aggrieved by recent events — such as Red Bull's ability to seamlessly move staff between its teams, whilst others must wait for gardening leave periods to lapse or pay significant compensation — the American even wrote to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to advocate for stricter rules surrounding strategic alliances in F1, including multi-team ownership.

Speaking during an FIA team representatives' press conference at the Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella reiterated that stance.

Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane, who was alongside the Italian and Mekies, said: "a lot of work goes into ensuring that we are respecting those rules".

Mekies, meanwhile, explained that Red Bull would back any further steps if stakeholders of F1 deemed it necessary.

"We all want 11 teams racing independently on track, and we have made many steps as a sport in recent weeks, in recent months, in recent years, to try to ensure more and more independence from every team racing on track," he told media, including RacingNews365.

"If any stakeholders, let it be another team or anyone else, would feel that more steps are needed to ensure 11 teams racing independently, we would support.

"We don't think it’s a matter of core ownerships or strategic supply; we think there are very many different ways in which teams are collaborating in the pit lane.

"As I said, power unit supply, gearbox supply, suspension supply, partial ownerships, full ownerships."

Mekies stopped short of suggesting Red Bull GmbH would consider selling the sister team, which is not currently an option on the table for the parent company, adding: "We are completely supportive to take any further step to ensure that, regardless of our strategic partnership or regardless of our ownership structure, that we race independently on track.

"We feel that is the case today. We will regardless completely encourage any further steps that we feel is needed as a sport."