Is Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff looking to take a stake in Alpine, potentially creating a Mercedes-backed ‘B-team’ within Formula 1?
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Some figures in Formula 1 worry that Wolff may be aiming to replicate the relationship Red Bull has with its junior outfit, Racing Bulls. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is among those who have publicly criticised the idea of teams sharing common ownership, arguing it undermines the sport’s integrity.
“It applies to anybody and everybody,” said Brown this week. “A/B teams, co-ownership – regardless of who it is, I frown upon it. I don’t think it’s healthy for the sport.
“I think A/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible. I think co-ownership, which we have one group now [Red Bull and Racing Bulls], and I understand how that came about and why it came about, but in today’s day and age, that’s [not] permitted in almost all, if not all, major forms of sport.
“I think it runs a real high risk of compromising the integrity of sporting fairness, which is what would turn fans off if they don’t feel like there’s 11 independent racing teams. I’ve been vocal about it from day one.
“Can you imagine a Premier League game when you’ve got two teams owned by the same group? One’s going to get relegated if they lose, and the other can afford to lose. That’s what we run the risk of.”
There is a clear argument for ensuring all teams are independently owned, yet F1 has allowed Red Bull to run two teams for many years. If the governing bodies have accepted that arrangement, some ask why similar structures should be forbidden to other manufacturers such as Mercedes.
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For
The precedent is already set: F1 rules have permitted companies to own multiple teams for around two decades. Changing regulations now in response to interest from Mercedes would be unfair to teams that have operated under the current framework.
Red Bull’s junior outfit functions as a development platform for young drivers and talent. Racing Bulls fields its own cars and runs a separate operation rather than directly managing on-track tactics to favour the senior squad. In practice, it competes like any other independent team on the grid.
Against
Allowing one owner to control multiple teams creates an uneven playing field. The longevity of the situation does not justify keeping it in place.
A junior team can influence results during races, but its value extends beyond the track. As Zak Brown noted, a second team tied to a parent operation may be less likely to vote against the parent on rule changes or enforce strict staff movement policies. That raises potential conflicts and weakens competitive fairness.
I say
On the surface, the argument “if Red Bull can have two teams, Mercedes should too” appears reasonable. But allowing multiple manufacturers or owners to create networks of senior and junior teams risks concentrating influence and reducing the number of genuinely independent operations on the grid.
F1 has invested heavily in rules like the budget cap to keep competition balanced and to prevent teams from buying success. Permitting shared ownership or linked teams undermines that effort and reintroduces advantages that budgetary controls seek to limit. For those reasons, many believe the practice should be re-evaluated or phased out.
You say
Should Mercedes be allowed to operate a junior team like Red Bull’s Racing Bulls, if that is their intention? Cast your vote below and share your thoughts in the comments.
Should more Formula 1 teams be allowed to have B-teams?
- No opinion (2%)
- Red Bull should not keep theirs and no other teams should be allowed to have them (81%)
- Red Bull should keep theirs and Mercedes and others should be allowed them too (10%)
- Red Bull should keep theirs but Mercedes and others should not be allowed to have them (8%)
Total Voters: 118
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