Andreas Seidl: The sharing of knowledge between teams should be reviewed

Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen, and Sergio Perez posed together with big smiles after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December. This photo demonstrates the close bond between their two teams, Red Bull and AlphaTauri. The latter is often referred to as the “B team” of Red Bull, which is accurate in practice. Austrian brand Red Bull is not the only one to have close ties with other teams, as Ferrari has a strong relationship with Haas and even had decision-making power over one of the two seats at Alfa Romeo until this season.

Beyond the choice of drivers, these teams also share certain technical knowledge necessary for the design of their cars. McLaren team principal, Andreas Seidl, hopes that this rule will be reviewed for more fairness.

« It’s no secret that these relationships exist in the regulations, but the way they are happening concerns us. That’s why we believe that it should be changed so that F1 becomes a championship with 10, 11 or 12 true constructors,” Seidl stated. « From our point of view, Formula 1 should be a championship where 10, 11 or 12 teams compete and the only thing they would be allowed to share would be the engine and gearbox. Everything else should be done by themselves,” he added.

McLaren is one of the independent teams on the grid, with only a partnership with Mercedes for the power unit. « As soon as you go beyond that, you have a transfer of knowledge that helps improve performance, and that’s not what Formula 1 should be, lamented the director of McLaren. « That’s why we regularly discuss this issue with other teams who have the same concerns and with the FIA. »

I hope that at some point we will take a step forward, because we accept where the limits are, but it is a difficult challenge. The simplest and most effective way to move forward is to have clear boundaries of what can be shared.