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RB set the tempo within the opening apply session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Nevertheless the connection between it and sister crew Crimson Bull stays some extent of concern for a few of its rivals.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been essentially the most vocal on the topic. “No different main sport, to my data, permits co-ownership of two groups that compete towards one another,” he stated throughout testing final week.
Crimson Bull bought two F1 groups in consecutive years: First Jaguar on the finish of 2004 after which Minardi a yr later. They have been respectively named Crimson Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso (Italian for ‘crew Crimson Bull’). The latter has modified names twice since: First to AlphaTauri and, this yr, RB.
In 2021 F1 launched a finances cap meant to restrict how a lot every crew might spend. Whereas Brown believes Crimson Bull are complying with the foundations, he argues their possession of two groups offers them a bonus underneath the monetary restrictions.
“We now have the finances cap in place which was meant and is working, for essentially the most half, to convey a stage enjoying subject to the game, fiscally and in each different method,” he stated.
“I feel the game, as we’re now within the finances cap period, have moved on to the place we’re making an attempt to have 10 impartial groups from a sporting, from a political, from a technical viewpoint.
“I feel they’re very a lot enjoying by the foundations, I’ve a difficulty with the foundations and consider that FIA wants to deal with this.”
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New management has been put in at RB this yr, for the primary time within the historical past of Crimson Bull’s second crew. The crew has additionally stated it is going to make better use of elements designed by Crimson Bull Expertise, which providers each groups, as the foundations permit.
“As Helmut [Marko, Red Bull motorsport consultant] has acknowledged he’s going to maximise the chance, which is what you’d do for those who personal two groups, and the foundations are what they’re immediately,” Brown continued. “However I feel we’re going to seek out, if the intent of the cap and all sports activities is to have an equal enjoying subject, then the way in which the foundations are at the moment written, aren’t the identical for everybody and you’ve got pockets of groups additionally the entire ‘A-B crew’ state of affairs, that doesn’t have that stage enjoying subject. So I feel we now must, tackle it and the FIA wants to deal with it by means of the foundations.”
RB employed Laurent Mekies from Ferrari to guide the crew this yr. He defended the foundations allowing groups to supply elements from their rivals, which different groups resembling Haas and Aston Martin additionally make the most of.
“As a sport, we needed to have a more in-depth subject, much less lap time distinction between the man who’s successful and the man who’s tenth,” he stated. “And it was felt that by permitting some elements to be shared, you’ll keep away from having an excessive amount of unfold between the highest and the underside of the grid.
“Now, for those who have a look at the outcomes of the championships final yr and for those who add up the factors scored by the underside 4 groups, we don’t even make up for the factors that [Alpine] made in sixth place. So I feel for those who have a look at the face of the championship outcomes, there’s nonetheless fairly a big unfold between the blokes struggling on the again to get a number of factors and what’s truly the guts of the midfield.”
Mekies stated F1’s buyer elements guidelines are additionally wanted to maintain prices down. “Sure, we’re in an excellent string of years now commercially with the curiosity of System 1 and it’s improbable,” he stated. “Nevertheless there’s a quite simple actuality that many of the groups’ shareholders are nonetheless pumping cash into it.
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“So I feel earlier than eradicating what’s a extra sustainable different into the enterprise mannequin of the groups, we have to have a little bit of a long-term view on what it’s going to do for the game within the subsequent few years.”
Crimson Bull crew principal Christian Horner dismissed Brown’s criticism, claiming it isn’t uncommon for rivals to have the identical house owners. “Crimson Bull personal two groups that compete within the Champions League which is likely one of the greatest sporting competitions on the planet,” he identified.
“The dedication that Crimson Bull has made to System 1, the dedication that Crimson Bull has made to those two groups, is excellent and needs to be applauded and be pleased about, reasonably than derided and tried to compromise.”
He claimed different groups co-operate extra intently than Crimson Bull and RB. “The 2 groups are completely separate,” he stated. “One is predicated in Italy, one is predicated within the UK. The one that’s based mostly in Italy has a far bigger turnover of workers that find yourself in Maranello than find yourself in Milton Keynes.
“They’ve completely different personalities, they’ve completely different characters and so they comply regularly with the rules. Certainly, the connection is much much less tight than among the groups that get pleasure from very tight relationships with their engine producers.”
Horner believes the groups’ rivals are solely elevating complaints now as a result of they’re involved RB can be extra aggressive this yr.
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“I might take it as a praise if I used to be Laurent that this challenge is being raised now,” he stated, “as a result of with a change of stewardship the crew had the chance to get its act collectively.
“They’ve obtained two high quality drivers, they’re introducing high quality folks into that crew. We anticipate them to be a competitor, not simply of the remainder of the sphere, however certainly of Crimson Bull Racing. We’re a crew of racers and there aren’t any pre-set guidelines, there aren’t any agreements between the groups. I feel you can pick many highlights or alternatives or eventualities the place that’s been the case over time from even Toro Rosso vehicles parking in our storage doing a championship-deciding race.
“So, I don’t perceive the fuss about it. I don’t perceive the noise that’s being created about it and I feel Crimson Bull ought to truly be applauded for the help and the dedication and the roles that they’ve offered by means of the nice occasions and notably the unhealthy occasions. So, for me, it truly is a non-issue.”
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2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
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