Why the FIA are looking to intervene after Red Bull Racing's CEO transition

The collaboration between Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls has been a topic of discussion for a while. There was renewed criticism at the start of this season regarding the sharing of components between the two teams. Mekies, then team boss of Racing Bulls, stated that this is all within the regulations.

When Horner was dismissed from his role as CEO and team boss several weeks ago, Mekies immediately took the role over from the Brit at the Austrian team, with his first race at the helm coming at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The move is entirely in line with Red Bull's vision, which wants to promote its own talents. However, the FIA and other teams are not pleased with this close collaboration.

This debate then reignited itself once again at the start of 2024 when staff were exchanged between Red Bull and Racing Bulls. PlanetF1 now understands that the FIA want to introduce mandatory gardening leave from 2026 to prevent such situations from occurring.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls hold a unique position whereby they can draw from more sources than other teams. At the moment, there are no general rules about a gardening leave, causing some team members to be inactive for months, while others can start immediately with a new team.

From 2026, all regulations will be bundled into one document. The F-section is a part of the regulations where the operational things of the sport are discussed. The mandatory gardening leave would then reportedly be included in this section.