Vasseur reveals 'clear' stance over Red Bull F1 controversy

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has backed Red Bull and RB over the controversy surrounding team ownership and collaboration in F1.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has led the discussion against the close ties between the two outfits on the F1 grid, the American disgruntled by potential advantages being provided by the increased collaboration intended for this season.

Both Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner and RB counterpart Laurent Mekies, as well as CEO Peter Bayer, have defended the relationship in the build-up to the new season, though there has been no relent from Brown.

Asked for his thoughts on the collaboration, Vasseur told media including RacingNews365: "I think there are two points: The first one is the ownership of the team and the second is the technical regulations."

Relationships between teams exist across the grid, including between Ferrari and Haas - the latter taking a number of components from the Maranello-based outfit.

"You could imagine a collaboration even if you are not owned by the same company, this is possible," added Vasseur.

"There is a clear cut in the regulation and it is up to the FIA to decide if it is black or white. For me, this is clear and so far, it has always been respected."

'We were very happy Red Bull was there'

Red Bull's ownership of the sister team was born from the demise of the Minardi team at the end of the 2005 F1 season and the team has provided support for the sport ever since.

Horner's defence of the dual ownership involved a reference to multi-ownership models in football and Vasseur said: "The ownership, for sure you can imagine the extreme situation of football and the Champions League, for example.

"But we also have to keep in mind that was three or four years ago, we were very happy that Red Bull was there to finance a team when we were struggling."