Zak Brown Slams ‘Selfish’ Rule Changes: Calls for Overhaul in F1 Team Principal Voting Power

"Biggest Challenge Within" – Zak Brown Criticizes 'Shameful' Team Principal Gatherings

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has alleged that competing F1 teams frequently alter their positions on regulations to suit their own interests.

McLaren Racing's CEO, Zak Brown, has criticized the "embarrassing" methods used in team principal meetings, acknowledging that F1 teams can sometimes be their own biggest issue.

Brown contends that F1 teams wield excessive influence under the present system and has charged certain competitors with advocating for rule modifications driven by self-interest rather than the overall good of the sport.

He specifically mentioned ex-Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer for seemingly altering his opinion on the penalty points system when it affected his then-driver, Pierre Gasly.

Brown stated that Szafnauer opposed relaxing the regulations when McLaren's Lando Norris faced a potential one-race suspension in 2021, but later advocated for the same changes when Gasly was at risk of being suspended.

"It can be quite humiliating during the team principal meetings," Brown mentioned to the press, including Crash.net, at Silverstone.

"One instance is when Lando accrued numerous penalty points two years ago. We argued that most of those points were not for 'dangerous' actions, but Otmar strongly opposed our view, as it seemed that everyone was eager to see Lando receive a ban."

"Jump ahead a year, and Gasly is facing a similar challenge. Otmar presents the identical argument that we previously presented, and we were surprised, saying, 'Didn’t you vote against this?' He wasn’t even aware of his own vote. This situation is problematic because it indicates that what benefits you one year may not benefit you the next."

Brown stated, "To eliminate this type of self-serving voting from the system, I believe we need to step back and allow the FIA and Formula 1 to ensure the sport's fairness. This means there will be times when we win and times when we lose. In the short term, we might face setbacks because we would have preferred to prevent certain decisions."

"I think McLaren aims to compete in a manner that is fair, sporting, and just, meaning that sometimes things will work in their favor and other times they won't. However, in the long run, if the sport is based on complete fairness and everyone has an equal chance, it's a better experience for everyone involved. Ultimately, we all benefit from that."

Brown expressed his desire for teams to have "less control" over future rule decisions and suggested eliminating the current voting system that demands a majority consensus.

He expressed a desire for teams to have reduced power. He clarified that he still wanted teams to have significant input through voting on various matters but suggested eliminating majority votes. Instead, he proposed adopting a simple majority where 50% approval would be sufficient to pass something, acknowledging that conflicts of interest affect everyone at different times.

"We really should return more authority to Formula 1 and the FIA so they can make the best decisions for the sport. Sometimes, we end up being our own biggest obstacle."

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