Otmar Szafnauer announced as Alpine Team Principal

Former Aston Martin boss completes Alpine switch.

French Formula One team Alpine have announced former Racing Point and Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer as their new Team Principal. Former FIA Deputy Sport Secretary General Bruno Famin will also join the team as the Head of the Engine Division. Szafnauer and Famin will both now report to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, who took charge in January 2021.
Szafnauer left his role at Aston Martin last month and was replaced by former BMW motorsport boss Mike Krack. Szafnauer was long rumoured for the job, especially after former Executive Director Marcin Budkowski left the team.
Szafnauer has been in the sport for more than two decades, having started off with the BAR team in 1998. He served as BAR’s Team Vice President in 2002 and continued with the team through their transformation into Honda. Szafnauer shifted to Force India and served as Chief Operating Officer before being made Team Principal in 2018, when Lawrence Stroll bought the team and rebranded it to Racing Point. He continued in the same role as the team rebranded to Aston Martin last year.
Szafnauer is known for making midfield teams punch above their weight, something which he has done numerous times with Force India and Racing Point, and Alpine will be hoping he can lead and guide them to the front of the grid as the new regulations set in.

Speaking about Szafnauer’s inclusion, Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, commented:
“With Otmar and Bruno joining the team, we move to a new level for 2022. Otmar will bring his unique experience in motorsports and his uncompromising desire to win, while Bruno’s proven track record in building technologies that make a difference in competition and their subsequent transference to road cars is critical for our project as a sports team and as a brand.”

Szafnauer himself stated:
“I am thrilled to join BWT Alpine F1 Team and ready to get to work with everyone to achieve our challenge: bring the team to fight for the Championship within the next 100 races. My attention is focused on preparing for the start of the season in Bahrain. As one of the three car manufacturers involved in Formula 1, Alpine is fully armed to achieve its ambition, I can’t wait to start the journey!”

Meanwhile, Alpine’s Racing Director Davide Brivio has also shifted roles and will currently serve as the Director of Racing Expansion Projects, which oversees the development of upcoming driver talents and other racing categories of Alpine. Brivio joined the French team last year, switching from MotoGP.

Speaking about his new role, Brivio stated:
“Alpine’s band of racers is a key to its long-term performance, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to the exciting ambition to shape a new culture within racing that is responsible and inclusive.
“Formula 1 is a flagship, but we also need to develop our ambition in new territories, and I am ready to support Laurent Rossi towards this goal.”

Rossi also spoke about Brivio’s new role, adding:
“Over the past year I have seen Davide’s talent to identify the best in people, and to make them perform as well as they can. I am delighted to utilise this unique skill across all existing Alpine assets and new ones we are just starting to explore. Our band of racers is complete and ready to bring the team towards its ambitious objectives in 2022.”