Ben Sulayem sides against Mercedes in Alpine stake battle

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has publicly questioned the idea of multi-team ownership in Formula 1 just as Zak Brown reportedly escalated the issue formally with a written complaint.

According to reports, Brown has now sent a six-page letter to Ben Sulayem outlining concerns over common ownership structures inside Formula 1.

The issue has intensified around the 24 percent stake in Alpine currently held by Otro Capital, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff linked to a possible bid.

Christian Horner is also still heavily connected to the stake as he eyes a Formula 1 comeback following the end of his Red Bull gardening leave.

Brown has already publicly argued against one manufacturer or ownership group holding influence across multiple teams, despite McLaren itself using Mercedes power units.

Now, Ben Sulayem has also openly expressed discomfort with the concept.

"Who is not interested?" the FIA president said of the Alpine stake, according to The Times.

"Really, everybody is there."

However, he questioned the motivations behind such investments.

"I feel ownership of two teams, as long as it’s for the right reason ... and what is the right reason?"

"As long as you are not trying to take it because you don’t want others to take it, or also get voting power when it comes to the regulations, then maybe it’s ok."

"But then I do believe that owning two teams is not the right way. This is my personal point of view."

Ben Sulayem confirmed the FIA is now actively examining the issue internally.

"We are looking into that because it’s a complicated area," he said.

"We put our people to investigate - to see, is it possible? Is it allowed? Is it the right thing?"

The Emirati also warned that Formula 1 risks damaging its competitive credibility if ownership influence becomes too concentrated.

"There is something called a sporting side," he said.

"If we lose, honestly, the sporting spirit, I believe that there will not be any more support in the sport."

"So to me, as I said, I’m not with support of it 100 percent."

The comments are particularly notable given Ben Sulayem’s recent strong public backing for Horner, whom he said Formula 1 "misses" and would welcome back.

Meanwhile, UOL journalist Julianne Cerasoli reports that Flavio Briatore is expected to leave Alpine at the end of 2026 and will not participate in negotiations surrounding the sale of the Otro Capital stake.