Bruno Famin on Otmar Szafnauer’s departure: “We were not on the same page.”

This is the news of the day: Alpine has decided to part ways with Otmar Szafnauer, team principal, and Alan Permane, sporting director, “by mutual agreement”. In a press conference, the new interim Team Principal, Bruno Famin, explained the reasons behind this sudden change in hierarchy at the French team. “Alpine, as a brand, has recently launched phase 2 of this project with various plans, and what really excites us is that this project is built upon the Motorsport section. Formula 1 is, of course, our cornerstone, but not the only thing. Being part of this project is a great challenge,” said Bruno Famin.

After reaching phase 1 of the Alpine brand, the team is now preparing for phase 2 of its Formula 1 project. Famin emphasized their ambition to rise to the top of the grid, but he recognizes that the journey ahead will not be easy.

“We have decided to make some changes to accelerate our progress and quickly reach the level of performance we are aiming for,” he revealed.

These changes have led to a mutual separation with Otmar Szafnauer, the current team principal, and Alan Permane, the sporting director. Famin wanted to thank both men for their contribution to the Alpine team.

“We thanked Otmar and Alan for everything they have brought to the team, but we are not on the same page regarding the schedule to recover or reach the level of performance we aim for. So we have mutually agreed to go our separate ways,” explained Famin. “We have discussed the issue with the hierarchy for weeks. It is a decision from upper management, it is not something that was decided overnight. We truly want to fight for victories and titles as quickly as possible. We are constantly improving our race car from race to race, from year to year. We know that the change in regulations can be an important step in changing the ranking,” he added.

“Now, I will conduct an assessment with the entire team, examine the real situation, and determine the next steps. I will take the necessary time to complete this evaluation,” explained the interim Team Principal.

A disappointing first half of the season

Regarding the current team’s results, Famin admitted that the expectations had not been fully met thus far. The team had finished in a solid fourth place last year, but they aim to maintain this position while aiming higher.

“We are not where we wanted to be in terms of results so far. We want to fight for fourth place and maybe even fight for the third position. We will work hard with the entire team to improve the performance of our car,” Famin said.

The vice-president of Alpine Motorsports emphasized that Alpine’s overall project is closely related to Formula 1 and that the team is confident in its ability to face the upcoming challenges. “We have a clear project and a well-defined objective that extends to the entire Alpine brand. Both parties are closely linked, and we are convinced that we will succeed in making this project work,” he said.

Famin also addressed the question of the team’s engine power, indicating that improvements are necessary to reach the desired level. “The current engine is not the best on the grid, even though it has made significant progress between 2021 and 2022. Our goal is to continue improving the package as a whole,” he revealed.