McLaren's Zak Brown Says Big-Spending F1 Teams Are 'Holding the Sport Hostage'

• McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says that the current Formula 1 product has many issues behind the scenes that need addressing.

• Among the problems facing the sport include big-spending teams lobbing against the budget cap and the fact that the teams have too much power.

• Brown also took a shot at the behavior of some of his counterparts on race day in a recent rant on the McLaren website.

It’s still the off-season in Formula 1, but McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has already put a stake in the ground on certain issues that are likely to be talking points throughout 2022.

In an open letter, published on McLaren Racing’s website, Brown expanded on long-held grievances with rival teams’ attempts to bend financial regulations that were introduced in 2021.

Formula 1 is entering year two of its cost cap, now set at $140 million, albeit with several exemptions, with an extra $1 million per event if the calendar is longer than 21 races meaning it will likely push to $142 million in 2022.

Brown, though, feels some teams are trying to manipulate the economic balance, using the new-for-2021 Sprint qualifying race format—which this year is being expanded from three to six events—as an excuse.

Brown explained that some teams are still trying to “win world championships with checkbooks” and that they are “continuing to demand a raise to the cost cap by an inordinate amount of money, despite the clear evidence that little damage was incurred during these (Sprint) races last year.”

Brown asserted that it is “a thinly veiled attempt to protect from their competitive advantage being eroded” and that “these teams seem unable to accept that a budget cap is in the best interests of the sport and cannot kick their habit of spending their way to the front.

"The current governance structure of the sport enables a situation where some teams, to protect their own competitive advantage, are effectively holding the sport hostage from what’s best for the fans and therefore the sport at large."

The exact structure of Sprint, and associated financial implications, has yet to be outlined by Formula 1, two months out from the opening round of 2022.

Brown also reiterated a long-held view regarding the tight connections between several teams, which he believes allows some major brands undue authority both on- and off-track.

McLaren is supplied by Mercedes power units but retains influence on its own components and design, whereas fellow Mercedes customers Aston Martin and Williams use more components acquired from Mercedes, as is permitted under Formula 1’s regulations and known as non-listed parts. Ferrari has a similar relationship with Haas while AlphaTauri leans heavily on Red Bull Racing, as both teams are owned by the energy drink company.