Red Bull open to further F1 rule changes on team ownership after McLaren demand

Red Bull has indicated it would be open to further regulations ensuring all 11 Formula 1 teams race independently, following a renewed push from McLaren CEO Zak Brown to outlaw multi-team ownership.

Laurent Mekies, who moved from Racing Bulls to Red Bull’s top role in July 2025, said his team would support any additional steps voted in by stakeholders to guarantee on-track independence — even if he believes current structures already achieve that.

Why it matters:

Brown’s letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem reignites a long-running debate over whether Red Bull GmbH’s ownership of both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls creates an unfair competitive advantage. With nine of 11 teams now independently owned, the pressure is mounting to close what McLaren views as a loophole that allows strategic collaboration between the two outfits.

The details:

• Brown cited multiple examples of perceived lack of independence, including Mekies’s move from Faenza to Milton Keynes without the usual gardening leave for a senior figure.
• He also questioned the ease with which Max Verstappen passed Liam Lawson in Miami, after Red Bull forced Racing Bulls off track on the opening lap.
• Mekies responded by acknowledging that collaboration exists in many forms across the paddock — from power unit and gearbox supply to partial and full ownerships.
• “We are completely supportive of taking any further step to ensure that, regardless of our strategic partnership or ownership structure, we race independently,” Mekies said.

What’s next:

Any rule change would require a vote by the teams and the FIA, a process that could gain momentum if other outfits side with McLaren. Red Bull’s willingness to engage suggests the sport may edge closer to formalizing independence rules for future seasons.