Monaco
Round 06 · Free Practice 1
Monaco Grand Prix
Circuit de Monaco · Jun 5–7, 2026
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The Debrief Room Round 14 May 2026
Morning Briefing
GOVERNANCE

Brown escalates multi-team ownership fight with FIA letter

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has written to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem opposing Mercedes' potential shareholding in Alpine, arguing that multi-team structures should not be permitted to expand across the grid.

Thursday, 14 May 2026 Round

McLaren challenges multi-team ownership model

Zak Brown has formally escalated his opposition to multi-team ownership in Formula 1, according to reports from Autosport, Motorsport.com, and PlanetF1. The McLaren Racing CEO has written to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem regarding the prospect of Mercedes acquiring a shareholding in Alpine.

The core dispute

Brown's intervention centres on the competitive and structural implications of allowing a single entity to hold equity positions across multiple F1 teams. According to Autosport and Motorsport.com, while the Racing Bulls structure has been tolerated by the sport due to its two-decade history, Brown contends that this model should not be permitted to expand over the medium to long term.

Strategic positioning

The correspondence signals a hardening of McLaren's stance on grid consolidation and ownership concentration. By taking the matter public through media channels, Brown has elevated what might otherwise remain an internal FIA dialogue into a broader governance debate, forcing other stakeholders to take positions on the principle of single-entity multi-team involvement in the championship.

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