'McLaren deserves a bonus, but system needs changes', says Brown

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McLaren's Zak Brown has defended F1's current system of bonus payments to the sport's top teams, but also admits adjustments are necessary.

In addition to prize money awarded according to where they finish in the world championship, four teams - Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes - currently receive a constructors' championship bonus.

The system had been devised with the intention of locking the big team into the sport, but has been denounced as partial and unjust by Formula 1's smaller outfits.

Teams looking at standard parts for cost reduction, says Brown

While McLaren executive Zak Brown believes the top teams deserve the incentive, he also thinks the system should tend towards a more equitable distribution of funds.

"We need equity split to be more equal," Brown acknowledged in a podcast with Marshall Pruett.

"But I don’t think it needs to be equal across the board because I think some teams, such as ours, bring more to the table than others and they need to be rewarded accordingly for their tenure and investment in the sport."

"I do think the balance between first and last is too big and is unhealthy. And if it’s unhealthy for the grid, then it’s unhealthy for all of us."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.