Otmar Szafnauer played a crucial role in bolstering the Force India team which has now become the Aston Martin F1 team under Lawrence Stroll’s vision. So, when Szafnauer left the Silverstone-based outfit after the 2021 season, it surprised many.
Joining Alpine (formerly Renault) as their team principal in 2022, the Romanian had several ideas and ambitions to shape up the French team, using his decade-plus experience of working at Force India. Unfortunately, Szafnauer could not make the desired impact on Alpine, as his stay came to a premature end in mid-2023.
His exit from the Enstone-based outfit was quite acrimonious amid the team’s persistent underperformance that season. Szafnauer felt like he was made a scapegoat in that situation, but later on, Alpine handed out pink slips to multiple key figures like Alan Permane and Laurent Rossi, kickstarting an uneventful structural overhaul.
Szafnauer, though, had a completely different plan in his mind concerning Alpine‘s future. He wanted to make them a top-three team and build a winning culture, based on the learnings he had at Force India. In his recent appearance on the Formula for Success podcast, he touched upon the same.
“I thought that I could take that team which was mid-grid-ish. We at Force India often beat them. I could improve them. I thought I would change the culture into a similar culture that I created or maybe I resurrected [at Force India],” the Romanian stated.
Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane will leave the team after the #BelgianGP.
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— The Race (@wearetherace) July 28, 2023
However, Szafnauer highlighted how the predecessor outfit of the Force India team — the Jordan F1 team — had set a strong foundation about the kind of culture he helped re-create during his time at the Silverstone outfit.
He praised the podcast host, Eddie Jordan, who was the founder of the Jordan team, for building such a culture. It was a shame that Szafnauer couldn’t enrich Alpine with that mindset.
How Alpine failed to benefit from Szafnauer’s experience
In 2022, Alpine perhaps had an arsenal of top-tier F1 experience on all fronts. A seasoned team principal like Szafnauer, a strong driver lineup — Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon — and a supremely talented backup in Oscar Piastri. However, the uncertainty in their leadership and an immediate need for on-track results derailed everything for them.
It was a huge loss for Alpine — even if they won’t admit it — to let go of Szafnauer, just because he wasn’t in alignment with the top management’s vision. On top of that, they made several changes in the technical and managerial leadership with no proper successors in place.
Nevertheless, Alpine seems to have found some stability since former Renault boss Flavio Briatore joined them as an advisor midway through last season. And Briatore, being the authoritative figure he is, has started to bring the team back on track.
Flavio Briatore described Renault’s #F1 2026 power unit closure as “one less problem for us to worry about in the future”, allowing Alpine to “concentrate on the car.”https://t.co/5PejJLlNnP pic.twitter.com/IA1KWMggZX
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) January 5, 2025
The on-track results have started to fall in place with technical honcho David Sanchez taking control of the car development. The double podium finish in Brazil late last year was a result of his efforts.
Apart from that, Briatore has also taken a few long-term decisions for the betterment of the French team. Shutting down the indigenous Renault engine program is one of them, as Alpine have agreed to use Mercedes power units from the 2026 season onwards. Time will tell how that decision helps the Enstone-based outfit to climb up the field.
