Without naming names, Zak Brown expresses his concern over Mercedes buy-in at Alpine to the FIA.

The American has written to FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem asking him to look at the regulations relating to alliances between teams.

Though he doesn't name any particular outfits, having previously questioned the relationship between the two Red Bull teams, his fears come in the wake of a potential bid by Mercedes for the 24% stake in the French team currently held by investor group Otro Capital.

Such is his concern, Brown recently said he would welcome the return of Christian Horner to the F1 paddock, despite having previously said that Red Bull, and indeed F1, were in a "healthier place" following the Briton's sacking last July?

The Starmer-like U-turn is of course because Brown would rather see Horner at the helm of the Enstone-based outfit, than Toto Wolff sticking another finger in the F1 pie, not merely due to the additional revenue stream this would open up or the sharing of technology, but the fact that this would give the Three Pointed Star an additional seat at the table when it comes to shaping the sport.

"There is a real concern that the sport risks taking a step backwards in terms of integrity and fairness, at a time when the regulatory framework has been designed - with significant collective effort - to move in the opposite direction," writs Brown in a six-page letter to Ben Sulayem, which has been seen by The Race.

"We need to eliminate any further alliances," he continues, "whether through ownership, strategic participation or any other equivalent form of control or influence, and we need to work together quickly to start the process of unwinding those already established to ensure that the future integrity of the sport is not compromised.

"I think the work that the FIA and Liberty have done to create 11 healthy teams, in a cost-controlled environment, has created the most competitive era of Formula 1 ever," he concludes.

"We believe that, by addressing this remaining structural issue, Formula 1 will be set on an even stronger course, will continue to thrive and be the best the sport has ever been, we just need to make sure we bring total parity and integrity to the sport in every aspect. I am confident we can achieve that together."

"I think A/B teams, we need to get away from as much as possible, as quickly as possible," said the American last month. "I've been vocal about it from day one. We've seen it play out on track in a sporting way, Daniel Ricciardo taking a fastest lap point away from us to help the other team.

"We've seen IP violations on the Aston Martin/Racing Point on brake ducts," he continued. "We've seen employees move between teams overnight, where we either have to wait or sometimes make financial deals, which then impacts us in the cost cap. So when you see other teams that move people from one to the other, and then also without financial compensation, that's an unfair financial advantage. That's an unfair sporting advantage. We've seen Ferrari and Haas move people back and forth.

"Can you imagine a Premier League game, and you've got two teams owned by the same group, one's going to get relegated if they lose, the other can afford to lose, that's what we run the risk of. I think having engine power units as suppliers is as far as it should go.

"In my view, all eleven teams should absolutely be as independent as possible, because I think it has a high risk, and we have seen it compromise the integrity of the sport, and that will be what turns fans off quicker than anything else."

"There were discussions in the Concord Agreement about, should, over time, one of the teams be divested, but I also have a huge appreciation for what Red Bull has done for the sport and how that was done a long time ago. But certainly, adding to it, I think would be a mistake for the sport."

Of course, Brown's comments come at a time F1 is positively on a roll, but when Dietrich Mateschitz stepped in and bought Jaguar and then Minardi the sport was seriously struggling to survive. The Austrian bankrolled two teams when it was absolutely vital for F1.

That said, things have moved on, and, the Red Bull teams aside, one can understand why Brown, or indeed anyone, might fear Toto gaining any further power within the sport.