Szafnauer Open to F1 Return but Hints at Different Role

Former Force India, Aston Martin, and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has revealed he remains open to a Formula 1 comeback, though he says any potential return might not be in a team principal role.

Szafnauer, who spent over a decade leading the Silverstone outfit through its Force India and Racing Point eras before leaving Aston Martin to join Alpine, discussed his future on the High Performance Racing podcast. He admitted missing the competitive nature of F1, but not the travel and other aspects of the job.

"It does fulfil a lot," the 62-year-old said of the podcast. "But what I miss is the competitive nature of Formula 1. What I don't miss is the travel and some of the other stuff. But if I can be of value to improve a team or build a team... But it's got to be at the right level, and I've got to add value, not necessarily team principal because I've been there, done that."

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He added: "And it seems like nowadays the team principals are more ex-race engineers. And for me, some of the race engineers, not all of them, with all due respect, have different types of skills than what I think is required for a successful team principal."

Reflecting on his exit from Aston Martin following the arrival of Martin Whitmarsh as group CEO, he warned against diluted leadership structures. "I was CEO and team principal. He came in as group CEO," Szafnauer said. "And within weeks he took most of my responsibilities, about 80% of them. He said, 'You can do this 20% stuff at the track,' and I'm thinking you can't have two popes."

Since his exit from Alpine after the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Szafnauer has joined co-hosts Jake Humphrey and Rob Smedley on the High Performance Racing podcast. He has also become CEO of Van Amersfoort Racing and launched the EventR app. With his vast experience, a return to the F1 paddock would be valuable, even if not as a team boss.