Otmar Szafnauer built a strong reputation as Force India’s team principal. A key figure in their midfield success during the 2010s, he also kept the team running the best he could when they faced financial struggles, including administration in 2018.
Before Lawrence Stroll bailed them out in 2019, Szafnauer single-handedly kept the team afloat by paying for salaries out of his own pocket. That’s how much he loved his role as boss. “I knew the salaries were not going to get paid. And I know how difficult it is for people… Some people live from paycheck to paycheck”, he said.
Naturally, he was a popular figure among the F1 paddock, which lured many talents from other teams.
Even engineers from Red Bull wanted to flock to Force India. Szafnauer revealed how Guru Johl, a senior aerodynamicist at Milton-Keynes, wanted to join team Silverstone. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, as a result, was perplexed.
“I remember Toto Wolff saying to me, ‘Why is a senior from Red Bull knocking on Force India’s door, and not coming to me?’ And there was a reason,” Szafnauer said on the Formula for Success podcast.
Revealed: The Toto Wolff phone call after Force India made shock Red Bull move:
– Otmar Szafnauer, former Chief Operating Officer of Force India, revealed in an interview on the High Performance podcast how Toto Wolff reacted when a senior Red Bull aerodynamicist, Dr. Guru Johl,… pic.twitter.com/GNeDdzj9Vz
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) October 7, 2024
Johl had heard through the grapevine that Force India was a great place to work, which led him to knock on the Silverstone team’s door. With Mercedes as their engine supplier, Wolff maintained an open internal channel with them. That’s how he got to know about this.
Szafnauer emphasized his commitment to fostering a positive work culture, regardless of the team’s competitiveness. He ensured all subordinates were treated with respect, a mindset that filtered down to his managers.
Johl, however, remained at Red Bull and eventually ended up heading its sister team RB’s aero department.
How Force India thrived due to Szafnauer’s culture
Szafnauer revealed that he prioritized employee welfare, which attracted senior figures like Johl to his team over Red Bull’s direct rivals, Mercedes. However, that didn’t mean Force India was immune to attrition.
The Romanian-American noted that they lost several employees to the Milton Keynes-based outfit, including Max Verstappen’s current race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who worked at the Silverstone team until the end of the 2014 season.
“Red Bull were close, just down the road, and often recruiting. We lost a lot of good people to Red Bull,” Szafnauer said.
Still, he remained focused on creating a positive team environment where engineers felt valued and had a sense of belonging. Whether by granting time off when needed or recognizing contributions in front of colleagues, Szafnauer instilled employee welfare as a core principle of his leadership.
