Mercedes see 'no major benefits' in Red Bull and AlphaTauri collaboration
F1 News
McLaren CEO Zak Brown is very concerned about it: the partnership between Red Bull Racing and sister team Scuderia AlphaTauri (soon to be known by a new name). Mercedes, however, sees little cause for concern in the alliance between the two Formula 1 teams.
In 2023, AlphaTauri announced their intention to further strengthen ties with Red Bull and once again purchase more parts from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's team. This will be accompanied by a new identity and, therefore, a new name to be announced soon.
Some competitors are concerned about the partnership. Notably McLaren have repeatedly expressed concerns about Red Bull's 'B-team', as CEO Zak Brown called AlphaTauri. He believes such constructions are unfair and should not exist in Formula 1.
Mercedes not concerned about Red Bull and AlphaTauri
Mercedes do not share McLaren's concerns. "I’m not entirely sure what the nature of the relationships between those two teams is, but I am clear on what the rules are," technical director James Allison is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. He points out that the parts that can be supplied to other teams are very limited.
"In every other respect the rules are very tight about not passing on anything that could be regarded as intellectual property from one team to another. The way that rule is written is very broad and very powerful, and it pretty much makes any communication not permitted," said Allison, who recently extended his contract with Mercedes for several years.