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Otmar Szafnauer Criticizes Alpine F1 Team’s Lack of Racing Insight: A Deep Dive into the Turbulent Leadership Changes

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
February 22, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Otmar Szafnauer Eyes F1 Comeback: ‘I’m Too Young to Retire’

Otmar Szafnauer, the ex-boss of the Alpine F1 team, has leveled strong criticisms at the team’s ownership, stating they lacked fundamental understanding of motor racing. Szafnauer’s relationship with Alpine ended abruptly in 2023 amid a period of significant upheaval, with Bruno Famin stepping in to fill his shoes at the Enstone-based team.

Szafnauer’s journey to Alpine was marked by a lengthy stint at Force India and a brief tenure with the nascent Aston Martin team. However, his tenure at the Renault-owned Alpine was short-lived. The management decided to shake things up, ousting Szafnauer and replacing Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi with Philippe Krief.

Rossi, in his departure, singled out Szafnauer for the team’s performance issues, stating that “the buck stops with Otmar.” The team’s ownership also witnessed active participation from illustrious figures like world champion boxer Anthony Joshua, English footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold, golfer Rory McIlroy, and Superbowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Reflecting on his time with the team, Szafnauer expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s ownership. He felt their understanding of motor racing was woefully inadequate, and their expectations for instant success were unrealistic.

Szafnauer further elaborated on the ownership’s lack of motor racing insight in the “Formula For Success” podcast. He nostalgically recalled the days of Eddie Jordan, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis, and Adrian Reynard, who had deep-rooted understanding and experience in motor racing. He also paid tribute to Vijay Mallya, who, despite his racing experience in India, allowed his team enough time to make a difference.

Szafnauer strongly believes that mastery over motor racing requires sustained, long-term effort as the sport, unlike football, does not allow for rapid changes and quick wins. He cited the examples of Adrian Newey’s five-year journey to victory with Red Bull and Mercedes’ five-year gap between world championship wins after acquiring Brawn.

Szafnauer’s stance on personnel changes also clashed with the team’s ownership. They wanted him to overhaul the team like a football coach, but Szafnauer stood firm, refusing to dismiss hardworking employees. This disagreement signaled the end of Szafnauer’s time with Alpine.

Following Szafnauer’s exit, the team went through further management reshuffles. Renault CEO Luca de Meo appointed Flavio Briatore as an executive advisor and brought in Oli Oakes as the new team boss. Concurrently, Renault also decided to discontinue its F1 power unit manufacturing, leading to Alpine becoming a Mercedes power unit customer. This move has sparked rumors about a potential sale of the team, which Alpine firmly denies.

Szafnauer, now 60, is excited about tackling new challenges in Formula 1. In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, he expressed his keenness to utilize his expertise to help a team climb the ranks, provided he has enough influence to make a significant difference. He emphasized that he doesn’t want to work for a team for the sake of it; he wants to make a real impact.

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