Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur remains confident that the FIA will continue to manage Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s F1 partnership, with the two squads seeking to strengthen their working relationship in 2024.
Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri are both owned by Red Bull GmbH, with the former outfit based in Milton Keynes, UK and the latter in Faenza, Italy.
The two teams share multiple connections, with AlphaTauri strengthening its ties with Red Bull’s aero department in Bicester, England, adopting an RB19-inspired design philosophy and intending to run as many Red Bull parts (e.g. suspension, gearbox) on its 2024 car as permitted by the current regulations.
Vasseur has expressed that he finds the situation “strange” but acknowledges that the FIA has been able to handle the situation well thus far.
“I think we have to police what the teams are doing with their junior teams, which maybe isn’t the right word,” Vasseur said.
“For me, it is not the right way because, for me, Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri – or Minardi, I don’t know what is the next one!
“It’s true what they are doing together [with Red Bull] is a strange situation with two teams owned by the same company.
“But the FIA has been able to manage it so far – and I am sure they will be able to in future.”
Whilst Vasseur is conflicted on the subject of Red Bull and AlphaTauri, albeit sure enough that the FIA has everything under control, others disagree.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has repeatedly questioned whether having two F1 teams under the same ownership is fair, indirectly referencing Red Bull and AlphaTauri in a recent open letter.
In his remarks, Brown called upon the series’ rule-makers to look at “rules that currently impact the impartiality between competitors,” with ownership being his key focus.
“For example, most other major sports prohibit the ownership of two teams within the same league because of the obvious potential damage that it does to competition,” Brown said.
“It’s an unhealthy situation because it impacts decisions made both on and off the track.
“Whether it’s a case of having access to more data, sharing components/personnel, or even having influence over a strategic vote, it’s not in the spirit of the regulations.”
Brown had also previously stated that the Red Bull/AlphaTauri relationship needs to be reviewed and in his open letter believes parts and data sharing go against the spirit of fairness within the sport.
“It’s important to stand up for independence, competition and fairness, and I’d like to see changes in the regulations to ensure that in future, they stop influence spreading from one team to another through strategic alliances and especially through ownership,” Brown said.
“Formula 1 should be true to its brand, and every team – except Power Units – should be totally independent of each other.”
“I believe Formula 1 fans universally believe in fairness in competition and a level playing field, and would reject any actions that compromise the true spirit of competition within Formula 1.
“Part sharing of information, shared ownership models, and strategic alliances within the sporting fabric of Formula 1 will only serve to undermine the fans’ belief in fair and fierce competition.”
