McLaren CEO Warns Toto Wolff's Alpine Bid ‘Runs a High Risk'
Mercedes confirmed they are exploring a purchase of a 24% stake in Alpine, currently held by American investment group Otro Capital, and McLaren CEO Zak Brown was not going to stay quiet about it.
It has been made clear that if a deal were to come off, it would not be a case of Alpine becoming a Mercedes junior squad. However, there have been discussions evaluating how the two Formula 1 outfits could work more closely together. That nuance, however, has done little to ease Brown's concerns.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the American motorsport executive did not mince his words. "I've been saying for ten years, I don't like co-ownership, I don't like A/B teams," he said. "I think it runs a high risk of compromising the sporting integrity of the sport."
Zak Brown Points to a Track Record of Problems
This is not a vague philosophical objection for Brown. He came with specific examples.
"We've seen fastest laps from one team, Daniel Ricciardo take a point away from McLaren to help [Max Verstappen] at Red Bull," he said. "We've seen IP transfer from one team to another, we've seen staff move from one team to another overnight, where I have to wait until 2028. So they get a sporting advantage there, and sometimes that comes with some remuneration; they're not going to have to write a check, so that's a cost cap advantage."
"I've been saying for 10 years, I don't like co-ownership, I don't like A/B teams"
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 22, 2026
McLaren CEO Zak Brown speaks out after Mercedes confirmed they are looking to buy a stake in Alpine. pic.twitter.com/KParyxVZ5N
To drive the point home, the McLaren CEO reached for a soccer analogy. "Can you imagine in the Premier League, two teams being owned by the same, final game of the year, the team that loses is relegated, the team that wins, they don't need to win... how unfair is that for sport?"
His conclusion was unambiguous. "Co-ownership, A/B teams are not a healthy place for us to be as a sport. I think it's being managed now, we've seen incidents, and we need to do away with it, not increase it."
Where the Alpine Bid Stands
Mercedes is considering becoming a minority shareholder in Alpine through the purchase of the 24% stake currently held by Otro Capital. Toto Wolff is understood to be leading the bid, and he is not the only interested party; Christian Horner has also been linked with a move for the same stake as part of a separate consortium.
Otro Capital originally acquired the stake in Alpine as part of a wider investment group in 2023, which included high-profile sports figures such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Anthony Joshua, and Rory McIlroy. The Enstone-based team has also faced unusual off-track moments, including a garage break-in that prompted a police investigation at one of Alpine's facilities.
While Brown says he can tolerate Red Bull's long-standing ownership of the Racing Bulls squad, he believes it is a completely different matter when it comes to allowing a new relationship between two teams to be created.
With the Miami Grand Prix approaching, Alpine's ownership battle is shaping up to be one of the season's most politically charged stories amid broader scrutiny surrounding Formula 1, including an investigation by Italian authorities into potential tax evasion involving drivers and teams.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 12:50 AM.