Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Mohammed Ben Sulayem says he is personally against one company owning two Formula 1 teams, and the FIA president has ordered a review of the issue after Mercedes emerged as a potential buyer for Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine.
Speaking during the Miami Grand Prix weekend in comments reported by The Times, Ben Sulayem made clear that the possible deal has become about more than a share sale. “I do believe that owning two [teams] is not the right way, this is my personal point of view,” he said, adding that the FIA is examining whether such a move is possible, allowed and, in his words, “the right thing.”
His concern is not limited to the letter of the regulations. Ben Sulayem said the governing body is also weighing the sporting consequences of any cross-team ownership. “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].”
The issue has sharpened because Mercedes is not just any outside investor. Alpine is due to switch to Mercedes power units from 2026, and Flavio Briatore, Alpine executive advisor, confirmed recently to PlanetF1.com and other media that Mercedes is involved in negotiations for the Otro stake. “Every day is a new situation,” Briatore said. “But what I want to say, I know it’s the negotiation from Mercedes, not with Toto, with Mercedes, and we’ll see.” He added that there are “three or four potential buyers” for the holding.
That 24% share has become a major asset. Otro Capital paid $233 million for it in 2023, and with Formula 1 team values rising, Alpine is now estimated at about $3 billion. That would put the stake on sale at roughly $720 million.
Ben Sulayem suggested ownership across two teams might only be acceptable if the motive is clean. “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,” he said. Even then, he returned to the same conclusion that dual ownership is “not the right way” and said FIA staff had been tasked with investigating the matter.
Any attempt to block a Mercedes move would quickly raise questions about consistency, because Red Bull already owns both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. That makes the Alpine stake sale more than a commercial transaction: it is now a test of whether Formula 1’s governing body is prepared to draw a harder line on multi-team influence already present on the grid.