Gunther Steiner critical of F1 multi-team ownership: “They must be banned, times have changed”. The connection between Red Bull and Racing Bulls continues to stir debate.

Controversial Union
The end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, has reignited an important discussion about the future of the sport, for which no solution has yet been found: the issue of multi-team ownership. This refers to different teams managed by the same owner, specifically the much-discussed case of Red Bull and its ‘sister’ team, Racing Bulls (formerly Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri over the years).

The topic had been forgotten for a while, but understandably, incidents like Daniel Ricciardo taking the fastest lap from Lando Norris at the end of the Singapore GP,  Daniel Ricciardo, out of the points and in his last race of his career, denied Lando Norris an additional point, which could be crucial in his title fight against Max Verstappen, have reignited the controversy.

Rules Need to Change
Is it right for two theoretically rival teams to be managed by the same owner? Doesn’t this risk distorting the championship, especially in a situation where every single point can be decisive? Former Haas team principal Gunther Steiner has weighed in on the issue, pointing a finger at the Red Bull-Racing Bulls connection (which has existed since 2006, when Red Bull acquired the former Minardi team). According to the former Haas manager, F1 and the FIA need to introduce clear rules that prevent multi-team ownership in the sport.

Times Have Changed
“You can never shake off the suspicion that there are team orders between the two squads,” Gunther Steiner explained during an interview on the Red Flags podcast. His opinion is particularly interesting because Steiner, early in his F1 career, worked at Red Bull as technical director under a then-young Christian Horner: “I think we need to respect what Red Bull did back then. I was involved when they bought Minardi. F1 was struggling. Minardi was struggling and would have failed without a savior. But now, F1 has developed a lot since then.” – he pointed out.

“In the future, maybe, we will establish that owning two teams is not allowed,” Steiner concluded, although he doesn’t see this change happening soon. “It’s not allowed in football, or anywhere else. What Red Bull has invested in F1 to make it what it is today is really incredible,” he acknowledged. “So, in the end, you can’t tell them what to do with their teams. But in the future, it will need to be reconsidered. At Singapore, if RB hadn’t been run by the same owner as Red Bull, no one would have thought anything bad. Everyone would have just said it was a final gift for Daniel Ricciardo. If, for example, Sauber had done it, would anyone have cared? No. The problem is that they are under the same ownership.”