Otmar Szafnauer Questions Aston Martin and Alpine After Disappointing Performance

Alex Harrington | Aug 5, 2024

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon of France (31) drives during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

In a discussion on the James Allen on F1 Podcast, Otmar Szafnauer, former team boss of Aston Martin and Alpine, has questioned both teams' performance since his departure. Szafnauer, who played an important role in transitioning the British team from Force India to Racing Point and eventually to Aston Martin, shared his expectations versus the reality of their scenario.

At Aston Martin, under the investment and direction of Lawrence Stroll, Szafnauer had helped lay down a robust infrastructure aimed at catapulting the team towards the front of the grid.

“Lawrence has put in place the infrastructure required for it to be a top team,” Szafnauer stated. “They’ve hired, and I was part of it, a bunch of good people there. They have two good drivers, and I’ve worked with both of them – Lance [Stroll] and Fernando [Alonso]. For whatever reason – I’m not that close to it – my expectation was that their on-track performance would have been a little bit better than it is now.

“They were maybe the sixth or seventh fastest team at Silverstone. My anticipation was that they would be fighting for the top three, or definitely the top four. So there’s something amiss there or adrift. I don’t know what that is, you’ve got to be close to it to understand what it is," he elaborated.

The businessman questioned the internal dynamics within the Silverstone-based squad, asking whether the team was effectively collaborating and if leadership sufficiently understands the intricate trade-offs required in building a racing car capable of leading a race, covering areas like aerodynamics, mechanics, and drivability by drivers.

“Is it really a great place to work? Are they really collaborating? Is everyone pulling in the same direction?" he asked.

Reflecting on his tenure and subsequent departure from Alpine after just 18 months, Szafnauer wasn't able to complete his plans in developing the team - a team that, after his leaving, fell from fourth in the Constructor's Standings.

“Alpine is another reset. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t get the opportunity to continue on the road that I was going down," he commented. "What I was doing there was convincing really good engineers and talent, not at the highest level but at the mid-level where the performance actually comes from, to come to join the team, because of the project that we were working on.”

The French team has just been confirmed to be welcoming Oliver Oakes as new team principal, replacing Bruno Famin. It's now rumored that this is the beginning of a phase out of the Alpine brand, with Hitech, founded by Oakes, taking over the team. This is yet to be confirmed.