McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has raised concerns about the close technical relationship between sister teams Red Bull and AlphaTauri, questioning whether the alliance is giving the former an unfair advantage.
As the 2023 season neared its conclusion, AlphaTauri implemented a series of significant upgrades on its AT04 that helped propel the team from the bottom of the Constructors’ standings to P8.
Red Bull on the other hand made only very small changes to its all-conquering RB19 design in the back half of the 2023 season.
The enhancements brought by AlphaTauri proved particularly effective in improving performance in low-speed corners, a specific area of weakness identified by Red Bull on its RB19.
Competitors began speculating on the potential ascent of the junior team and whether collaborative resource sharing might assist Red Bull in maximizing its limited wind tunnel testing allowance.
Despite assertions from Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner that no rules had being violated, Brown remains deeply skeptical about the alliance, citing "big concerns" about its potential implications.
“The million-dollar question that none of us know is how early did they [Red Bull] turn off this year’s car?” questioned Brown, speaking to Motorsport.com.
“We know we’ve outperformed the others in the development race, and we know we’ve closed the gap to Red Bull but what none of us know is: did Red Bull stop, and we just caught up, or were they still developing?
“Also, we have some big concerns over the alliance between AlphaTauri and Red Bull. I think that is something that needs to be addressed in the future.
“So, I still think the sport has a way to go to make sure that everyone is truly independent.”
Earlier this year, Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko confirmed that AlphaTauri would leverage to the max its partnership with Red Bull, meaning that the team would acquire every part that it is authorized to have from the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s factory.
Furthermore, AlphaTauri has delegated personnel from Faenza to its UK based aerodynamics department in Bicester to achieve economies of scale. But this is perceived by Brown as another source of concern.
“It is two teams with common ownership, which you wouldn’t have in other sports,” noted the McLaren Racing boss.
“[It could benefit Red Bull in] a lot of different ways. There is a reason why they are moving a lot of their people from Italy.
“As Helmut [Marko, Red Bull motorsport advisor] has said, they are going to do absolutely everything they can to benefit from having two teams.
“I get that because that’s what the rules say. But I think we need to look at the governance of the sport around technical alliances.”
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