Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer sheds light on the disagreement that led to the Alpine exit 

Otmar Szafnauer sheds light on the reason behind his Alpine exit halfway into the season.

Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer sheds light on the disagreement that led to the Alpine exit 

Otmar Szafnauer (Via Twitter)

Alpine F1 team has gone through a massive shakeup in the last few weeks. One of the key figures involved is none other than Otmar Szafnauer who was the team principal. The 2023 Belgian GP was his last race as Alpine’s Formula One team principal as the two parties parted ways after that. However, this was not the only major structural change that was observed within the team. 

Ahead of the race weekend, it was understood that Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving Sporting Director Alan Permane were fired from the team. Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry was also announced as the next employee who is leaving the squad. Pat got a role with Williams racing. F1 engine chief Bruno Famin promoted to vice president of Alpine Motorsports and Laurent Rossi was replaced as Alpine CEO by Philippe Krief.

https://youtu.be/q_3GUuIRVZM

Otmar Szafnauer has gone on to give his statement on the whole situation which led to his exit in an interview. “It was definitely mutual,” the former Racing Point boss said. “I laid out the timelines as to how long it takes in F1 to effect change.

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You know, it’s not a football team — it’s only two [drivers] and 998 technicians, engineers and aerodynamicists, and to change a culture takes time. The timeline wasn’t accepted by the bosses of Renault — they wanted it quicker and that’s what we disagreed upon. So, yeah, mutual,” he stated. 

Related: Helmut Marko asks Sergio Perez to ‘forget the World Championship dream’ amidst uncertainty over the Mexican’s Red Bull future

Otmar Szafnauer will not be able to work with another team for a year 

Otmar Szafnauer
Otmar Szafnauer (via Twitter)

Otmar Szafnauer’s work in Formula 1 has been very prominent. He has been in the business since 1998. His work with drivers such as Sergio Perez has been greatly appreciated within the team. Now that he has been relieved off his position, a basic understanding is that he can not join a rival for another year. Many high profile individuals in the sport have been bagged and locked in until 2024 -2025. 

Otmar Szafnauer was spotted at the Aston Martin garage during the Belgian GP which has increased speculations that the former Alpine team principal can go back to his old team. With Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly being a part of Alpine’s 100 race plan, they are yet to make any gains as the team sits in 6th place in the constructors championship. Three years into their plan which started in 2021, the team hasn’t gotten any closer to winning championships yet. 

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