F1 News
McLaren wants FIA to scrutinize relationships between F1 teams
- GPblog.com
McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl believes that technology sharing between partner teams should be looked at more closely with the FIA. With the budget cap introduced, that topic is perhaps more relevant than ever.
Some Formula 1 teams have been voicing their concerns about ties with so-called "B teams" for some time. In particular, the strictly regulated time that teams are allowed to spend in the wind tunnel has reignited that discussion.
Concerns about 'B teams'
Teams from the rear of the field are allowed to spend many more hours in the wind tunnel than the top teams. However, there are concerns that the 'B-teams' will share data with the team with which they share the wind tunnel. For example, Ferrari shares the wind tunnel with Haas, Red Bull Racing with AlphaTauri and Mercedes with Aston Martin.
Seidl believes that the championship should consist of ten, eleven or twelve independent constructors and therefore thinks that the existing ties should be put under a magnifying glass by the FIA. He says this in conversation with Motorsport.com.
Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer also expressed his concerns to F1 TV about the possible sharing of data by teams using the same wind tunnel. Aston Martin, where Szafnauer left as team boss after 2021, itself shares a wind tunnel with Mercedes. However, Szafnauer assures that his former team never shared data with Mercedes.