Alpine Boss Otmar Szafnauer under risk of replacement by Mattia Binotto: Report

Alpine are currently sixth in the 2023 constructor standings with 14 points.

Alpine Boss Otmar Szafnauer under risk of replacement by Mattia Binotto: Report

Otmar Szafnauer & Mattia Binotto. Images via Litsuit and PlanetF1.

Otmar Szafnauer, the Alpine F1 team boss, has faced several challenges this season. Alpine and Aston Martin were seen as the teams who would take the fight to Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes in 2023. While Aston Martin have improved, Alpine still have work to do. The French outfit will make several changes to become more efficient. Their main goal is to close the gap on the front runners. 

With Aston Martin way ahead, Alpine’s chance to take fourth place have diminished. Having failed to bridge the gap to the front in the 2023 season, Szafnauer is under pressure. CEO Laurent Rossi is unhappy with the team’s performance. According to formu1a.uno, Rossi had reportedly reached out to the former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. As per the report, he wants to replace Szafnauer.  

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Rossi is dissatisfied with Szafnauer’s work and wants to explore the idea of a new team principal. However, Binotto turned down the French outfit’s offer. Rossi aims to strengthen the team by making fundamental changes. He wants Alpine to remain fourth in the constructor’s standings. 

Related: ‘We are not playing the lottery,’ Mike Krack points out where Aston Martin’s current advantage over Ferrari and Mercedes lies

Alpine CEO says Otmar Szafnauer is not meeting expectations

Laurent Rossi with Otmar Szafnauer. Image via Motorsport Week.
Laurent Rossi with Otmar Szafnauer. Image via Motorsport Week.

Rossi stated, “Otmar doesn’t do everything, but the responsibility for him is his. He was hired to achieve goals that, at the moment, we are not meeting. We started late compared to the others, and a difficult year lies ahead. I accept mistakes, but not that they are made twice. This means mistakes are not being learned from.”

The Alpine CEO added, “The goal was and remains fourth place. This team has progressed over the last two years and is the same as last year, and so I won’t accept a result other than fourth place. Aston Martin has fewer engineers than us, they don’t have its own wind tunnel. So resources aren’t an excuse. Creativity and efficiency at work make the difference”. 

Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are 10th and 12th in the driver standings, respectively. The team brought a new floor to the Miami GP and had a good pace throughout the weekend. The team scored points in three of the five races so far. The A523 is not too shabby in both slow and top speeds. While it still lacks downforce and stability, the team will bring upgrades to fix the issues. There is a long way to go. 

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