Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, has been the most outspoken critic of the sister team system employed by Red Bull. Many Formula One teams have expressed concerns about the Red Bull teams in the era of cost-cap regulations. Brown has called for intervention from the FIA on two occasions, claiming that the technical partnership between the teams is unfair to their competitors.
In a move that has further worried other F1 teams, VCARB Team Principal decided to relocate their headquarters to the Red Bull technology campus in Milton Keynes ahead of the 2024 season. At a recent F1 Commission meeting, team principals voiced their worries about the two teams sharing a wind tunnel facility. Brown even went as far as suggesting that the FIA should prohibit this outdated ownership structure.
According to Brown, the sport is constantly evolving, which is why the budget cap was introduced. Its main objective is to create a level playing field for all participants, both financially and in other aspects. He believes that from a sporting, political, or technical standpoint, the sport has progressed to a stage where ten independent teams should be the norm, as no other major sport allows co-ownership of teams that compete against each other.
The newly appointed Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, has emphasized that they value and adhere to the rules and guidelines in sports. Mekies, a former Ferrari employee, argues that the current Red Bull model is sustainable and any changes should only be made if a better model is proposed.
After failing to meet their targets, AlphaTauri rebranded itself as Visa Cash App RB in 2024. The Italian group formed a partnership with Cash App and Visa, with Alrajhi Bank, a Saudi Arabian bank with a market capitalization of $96.81 billion, becoming the sponsor of the Visa Cash App RB F1 team. Alrajhi Bank is one of the largest banks in the Middle East and globally.
Saudi Arabia has shown interest in Formula One, with businesses and the government considering including it in their holdings. The nation is exploring alternative options to strengthen its partnership with F1, which currently costs $53 million per year, after previous unsuccessful attempts.
It is believed that Saudi Arabia is the third-largest contributor to Formula One, following Azerbaijan and Qatar. However, the country has faced controversy within the F1 community. VCARB is already facing trouble due to its close relationship with sister team Red Bull, and fans are concerned that this ongoing controversy may lead to further issues in the upcoming season.