Otmar Szafnauer opens the door to a potential arrival at the future Andretti team in F1
Without a job since leaving Alpine during the summer of 2023, Otmar Szafnauer stated that he had discussions with Andretti, a team hoping to join the Formula 1 grid. He also took the opportunity to take a slight dig at his former French employer.
Otmar Szafnauer left Alpine during the last season due to the internal restructuring of the French team. He was replaced by Bruno Famin as the team principal. The Romanian revealed in an interview with MotorSport Magazine that he had already started discussions with the Andretti Global group to potentially lead their Formula 1 team.
Michael Andretti, former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver, is leading an intense recruitment campaign, while the team he manages is still awaiting approval from F1 to join the grid. Furthermore, a wind tunnel model has been sighted, and the American team has already begun developing a car that complies with current regulations.
Otmar Szafnauer took the opportunity to express his interest in the idea of joining the project. “I’ve had discussions with Michael Andretti, he called me before my arrival at Alpine, and I told him that I would love to help,” he revealed. “They first need to secure entry into Formula 1, because without entry, how can I assist them? If they are accepted, then I can discuss getting involved, launching them, and pushing them forward.”
The former director of Aston Martin and Alpine in F1 maintains that despite the premature end of his last venture, his desire to continue in Formula 1 remains strong. “Maybe I have too high an opinion of myself… but I still believe that I possess the necessary skills to build a good team and be competitive in F1. That’s what I want to do,” Szafnauer expressed.
« At the moment, I have the desire, but I am waiting because I cannot compete due to the provisions of my gardening leave. Hopefully, very soon, I will be able to return to sports. The problem is that I am a little impatient. », he admitted.
You cannot [make changes] overnight.
Despite this hiccup in the F1 entry process for Andretti, the American team has not suspended its work. Otmar Szafnauer believes that this is the right approach, given that time is crucial in any new project in F1, something that Alpine did not prioritize while working there.
When you arrive in a situation like Alpine, you first need to deeply understand what you have, what is good, and what needs to be changed, but you can’t do it overnight, he said. It may seem egocentric, but I think I was doing a good job at Alpine and making the right changes.
Szafnauer still holds a grudge over his dismissal from Alpine, and what proved to be a problem for him at the French team might be something to avoid at Andretti.
The top leaders of Alpine wanted success to happen faster than what was possible. I told them what was possible, and they said they didn’t have time for that. He continued, » It seems like they don’t understand that it takes time to change a culture, to acquire new skills where we didn’t have them before.
“I told Alpine that I was making progress, but their response was always ‘we don’t have time for that’. That was the cause of our disagreement and I was informed less than 10 days before their decision, which led to my departure during the Belgian Grand Prix,” concluded Otmar Szafnauer.
