McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has submitted a formal letter to the FIA requesting rule changes that would prohibit common ownership of multiple Formula 1 teams, according to documents circulating among team principals this week. The letter arrives as McLaren publicly acknowledges falling three months behind competitors in the 2026 power unit development cycle.
Brown's letter does not name specific ownership structures but follows sustained speculation around family offices and sovereign wealth funds evaluating multi-team portfolio strategies. The FIA's current regulations permit single entities to hold stakes in multiple teams provided certain Chinese wall provisions exist, though enforcement mechanisms remain vague. Brown's submission argues that competitive integrity requires bright-line ownership restrictions, not governance theater.
The timing carries weight. McLaren is three months behind rivals in 2026 preparations, per driver Lando Norris, who described the deficit in technical briefings last week. That gap matters because the 2026 regulations represent the sport's largest technical reset since the hybrid era began in 2014, with entirely new power unit architectures and aerodynamic philosophies. Teams that locked their concepts early—Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes—are already building prototype components. McLaren is still finalizing architecture decisions.
Brown's letter positions McLaren as the voice of competitive purity, but the subtext is resource allocation. Multi-team ownership structures could allow capital to flow between entities in ways that obscure true spending. A billionaire owner of two teams could theoretically fund parallel development programs, share wind tunnel learnings through contracted personnel, or negotiate joint supplier deals that create asymmetric cost advantages. The FIA's Cost Cap Administration reviews submitted financials but does not audit intangible transfers like engineering philosophy or supplier intelligence.
The letter also highlights governance exposure. If a single owner controls two teams, race-day decisions—team orders during Safety Car periods, strategic tire choices that influence competitor pit windows—become impossible to audit for conflict. Brown's argument is that the sport cannot rely on honor systems when $500 million franchise valuations and constructor championship prize money approaching $150 million annually are in play.
McLaren's three-month development lag adds urgency to Brown's positioning. The team cannot outspend Red Bull or Mercedes under cost cap rules, so it needs regulatory clarity to prevent competitors from accessing capital advantages through ownership engineering. Brown is effectively arguing for a level playing field on the governance side while his technical group fights to close the engineering gap before the first 2026 chassis hits the track in late 2025.
The FIA has not commented on the letter, but teams will discuss governance frameworks at the next F1 Commission meeting in early May. Brown's submission will likely force a formal vote on whether to amend Article 8.2 of the Sporting Regulations, which governs ownership disclosure and conflict-of-interest provisions. Any amendment requires support from seven of ten teams and FIA approval.
Watch for whether Red Bull or Ferrari file counter-letters arguing that ownership restrictions limit sport investment, and whether Brown's letter names specific structures or remains abstract. Also watch McLaren's April hiring announcements for any senior personnel from Red Bull Powertrains or Mercedes HPP, which would signal the team is buying its way out of the development deficit rather than waiting for regulatory protection. The FIA will likely delay any ownership rule changes until after the 2026 season begins, meaning Brown's real audience is the commercial negotiation table, not the rulebook.
The takeaway
Brown's FIA letter targets multi-team ownership structures while McLaren trails 2026 development by three months, signaling regulatory strategy as engineering catch-up.
mclarenfia governance2026 regulationszak brownownership structurescost cap
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