Alpine claims they ‘never lost confidence’ in sacked team principal Otmar Szafnauer

Otmar Szafnauer had a tumultous time as the Team Principal of the Alpine F1 team.

Alpine claims they ‘never lost confidence’ in sacked team principal Otmar Szafnauer

Bruno Famin and Otmar Szafnauer (Credits: Planet F1)

The Alpine F1 team has gone through some major changes in recent times, with none being bigger than the abrupt sacking of its former Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer. He was brutally removed from his position during the Belgian GP weekend. Still, the French team’s interim boss, Bruno Famin, has revealed that he and the team never lost confidence in Szafnuaer’s abilities.

Under the leadership of Otmar Szafnuaer, Alpine managed to score 57 points in 12 rounds with the infamous Esteban Ocon podium finish at the Monaco GP. However, this did not prove enough to keep Alpine’s hierarchy happy, and he was, thus, removed from the team along with its sporting director, Alan Permane.

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While talking about the same, Bruno Famin told Motorsportweek, “Nobody is saying that Otmar Szafnauer is not good. Otmar and Alan are very experienced people. They are real assets for a team, we know that perfectly, but with this kind of challenge, the competition is very hard, you need to be 100 percent aligned to have everybody working closely together and this was not the case anymore.”

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“We never lost confidence. When we are developing these kinds of projects, we really need to be on the same line with all the team, the top management of the team. We were working together, and at one stage we realized we were not on the same line on a couple of topics. The competition is so hard, and if we are not 100 percent aligned, we all have enough experience to know that it is useless to continue together, and everybody has to learn to go his own route,” he added.

Discover: Pierre Gasly admits that his Alpine F1 car has a “small window” where it performs best

Alpine is reportedly in talks with Mattia Binotto to take charge of the team

Mattia Binotto (Credits: Topgear)
Mattia Binotto (Credits: Topgear)

While the Alpine F1 team has got no permanent Team Principal at the moment, it is a common belief that the outfit has held talks with the former Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto to take over the role. Moreover, the rumors that have come out until now regarding the same have all sounded positive.

Mattia Binotto has a wealth of experience when it comes to F1, and it was under his leadership that Ferrari was able to produce an extremely competitive car during the 2022 season of the sport. If Alpine manages to get the Italian maestro on board, it will bode well for the team in the long run.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are adept F1 drivers, and if things work out well with Binotto, the trio could help Alpine bring significant success to the team in the upcoming years. However, regarding the ongoing campaign, the team has got stiff competition from the light of McLaren for P5 in the Constructor’s standings.

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