F1 teams are effectively holding the sport hostage

McLaren CEO Zak Brown ponders B-Teams. Photo: Andrej Isakovic / Contributor (Getty Images)

Poor Formula 1, It seems the sport can’t go more than a week without a new threat to its worldwide reputation. The latest saga was outlined by McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who warned that it could actually be the F1 teams themselves that are risking the integrity of the series.

according to brown, The sport faces backlash from teams about its move to impose a stricter budget cap. In addition, he believes that the proliferation of ‘B teams’ in sport is ‘not in line with the F1 principle’. Strong words from the McLaren man.

Brown cleared his thoughts in a blog post on the McLaren website ahead of the start of its teams’ 2022 F1 campaign. The team will premiere its 2022 F1 Challenger on February 11 alongside its competitors for this year’s IndyCar season and Extreme E Series.

That’s not an orange, that’s papaya. Photo: Pool / Pool (Getty Images)

In the post, Brown warned that some teams “seem unable to accept that a budget cap is in the best interest of the sport and can’t break their habit of earning their way forward.”

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And a new technical regulation, F1 will lower its budget cap to $140 million this year. That number will drop again starting in 2023, when teams will only have $135 million to spend.

This cost cap covers all expenses related to vehicle performance. It excludes all marketing costs, racer fees/salaries, and the salaries of a team’s three highest paid employees.

The F1 budget cap does not cover the salaries of the top three employees. Photo: Lars Baron/Staff (Getty Images)

But it’s not just the future of the cost cap that Brown is worried about. He also writes about the impact that “B-Teams” are having on the sport.

Brown writes:

“In short, the current situation allows B-Teams to be over-competitive compared to constructors, and A-Teams can be over-competitive by having the advantage of a B-Team. Without a fix, the state of affairs means any team with championship aspirations must have a B-Team, and that’s just not Formula 1.”

That’s what the McLaren CEO is proposing Partnerships between teams like Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, or Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, “reducing what it means to be an F1 team and the structure of the sport.”

All alone. Should McLaren have a sister team in F1? Photo: Lars Baron/Staff (Getty Images)

This close connection between leaders and backmarker teams could have an unfair influence on the conduct of the sport, Brown suggested.

He said:

“Furthermore, the voting pressure that A-Teams place on their B-Teams is inconsistent with the promotion of fair sport based on individual team performance. As I’ve said before – and these teams won’t admit it – there are times when some smaller teams will vote against their own interests to satisfy their A-Team’s agenda.”

But with F1 seats at a hefty price tag and few manufacturers likely to bid to get into the sport for years to come, can F1 really be chasing the teams it currently has on its roster?

For sure, the prospect of an Alfa Romeo Supporting a Ferrari win on track or supporting the same rules as the parent team doesn’t sound like the best way to play the sport. But if McLaren and every other manufacturer on the net If he had a sister team, would Brown have the same concerns about the rankings?