Alpine mutually agreed to part ways with former team principal Otmar Szafnauer following the side’s disappointing start to the 2023 season. The Romanian-American parted ways with the French team following the conclusion of the Belgian GP weekend, having just led them for a year and a half. Szafnauer stated that he was exiting the team because of a difference in opinion on how much time they needed to become a top team. However, according to a report put out by Business F1, it seems that this was not the only reason. The report suggests that a strange decision from former Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, who’s also fired now, may have contributed to Szafnauer’s departure.
As per the report, Szafnauer and Rossi never saw eye to eye and always had a tense relationship. The report adds that an Alpine insider told them that at one point, the relationship between the two broke down to such an extent that Rossi wanted someone in between to communicate with Szafnauer. It is at this point that the former Alpine CEO made a strange decision, soon after which he got the axe.
Renault CEO sacked Rossi for failing to make profits at Alpine’s car factory
According to the same report issued by Business F1, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo sacked Laurent Rossi because of his failure to make profits at Alpine‘s car factory. The report also adds that De Meo axed Rossi for his strange decision to move Renault engine head, Bruno Famin, over to England to take charge of the F1 team.
The report claims that because of Rossi’s decision, Szafnauer had “to report to someone who was his underlying a few weeks ago“. Even though the report does not directly mention that this was a reason for the 58-year-old’s departure departure, it just seems to be the case because of what is mentioned after.
Soon after Rossi appointed Famin, the report stated, “The appointment is bound to cause problems with Szafnauer as Famin stated he would be at the factory every day“. However, it is pertinent to note that Famin made it clear at the time of his appointment that he does not believe that there would be any problem with him and Szafnauer as he is “not a fan of micromanagement“.
However, considering that there seems to be some contradiction in Famin’s remarks, it is possible that his appointment could be a reason for Szafnauer to leave Alpine despite Rossi getting the sack.
What happened between Otmar Szafnauer and Laurent Rossi?
The same report issued by Business F1 also highlights the tension between Otmar Szafnauer and Laurent Rossi. The report states that “things had not been easy at Alpine after Laurent Rossi openly criticized the team,” one that was led by the former Aston Martin boss.
After stating the same, the report goes on to add that Szafnauer openly criticized Rossi for believing that Bruno Famin was the right man to lead the team. It were these kind of moments that led the two to have a complete breakdown in their relationship.
