Red Bull backs McLaren's push for stronger F1 team independence rules

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has publicly backed calls for stronger independence rules between Formula 1 teams, lending support to a campaign led by McLaren CEO Zak Brown that has now reached the FIA at the highest level.

Brown recently wrote to the FIA and its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to reiterate long-standing concerns about team alliances in the sport. His letter was prompted in part by Red Bull Austria’s dual ownership of Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, and specifically by Mekies’ move from Racing Bulls to the Red Bull Racing principal role without a gardening leave period. The issue gained fresh urgency amid reports that Mercedes is exploring a 24% stake in Alpine, as investment group Otro Capital looks to sell its minority share.

Brown is not calling for Red Bull to divest its satellite team. His position is that stronger guardrails are needed on governance, technical, and sporting levels to prevent any team from exerting influence over another in ways that could compromise competitive integrity.

Speaking to media at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mekies confirmed that he and Brown had held private talks and signalled Red Bull’s willingness to go further. “We all want 11 teams racing independently on track, and we have made many steps as a sport in recent weeks, months, and years, to try to ensure more and more independence from every team,” Mekies said. “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 it.”

Mekies acknowledged the breadth of existing commercial relationships across the paddock — power unit supply, gearbox and suspension supply, partial and full ownerships — while stopping short of identifying any single arrangement as problematic. “We don’t think it’s a matter of core ownerships or strategic supply,” he said. “We are completely supportive to take any further step.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella framed the letter as part of a constructive process rather than a direct attack on any rival. “I would really be curious to see if any of the stakeholders in Formula 1 disagree with the fact that this is a championship between independent constructors,” Stella said. “We believe very strongly that this principle should be enforced totally. It’s now time for the F1 community to think about how we implement it fully, such that the fairness in the game and in the competition is fully achieved.”

With Red Bull now publicly aligned with McLaren’s position, pressure on the FIA to formalise new governance measures around team alliances is likely to intensify ahead of the next round of regulatory discussions.