Amid Esteban Ocon & Co’s Horror Show, Alpine’s New Vice President Issues Huge Update on Otmar Szafnauer’s Future With the Team

In the last two weeks, a lot has been happening within the Alpine F1 team. From getting Ryan Reynolds and Co. to invest $218 million in the team to scoring only 1 point in the last 2 races, the team has seen major highs and lows. The latest change is a major shake-up in the management with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer getting stripped of important responsibilities. And taking over those responsibilities is the new Vice President who has given a big update on Szafnauer’s future with the team.

After the heroic podium by Esteban Ocon in Monaco, things have gone downhill for the team. From scoring 21 points in Monaco to 5 in Spain to 4 in Canada to 1 in Austria and finally, none at Silverstone, performances have been lackluster. Changes were bound to come, and they have. Alpine has promoted Bruno Famin to Vice President and Szafnauer will now report to him. Speaking about his appointment and Szafnauer’s role, Famin assured that the Team Principal has got nothing to worry about.

Famin said, as quoted by MotorsportNextgen-Auto, “It doesn’t change anything for him. He is the Team Principal of the team. He just changes his leader and his function remains. We’ve been discussing it with Laurent for some time. It is not in reaction to anything. It’s just the normal evolution of the brand structure. Pressure, there is always pressure, you have to be sure that it is good pressure, not bad. But for me, it’s good, I like to work with pressure. It’s the rule of the game, we all know it so there’s no reason to take it negatively.”

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So for now, fortunately, all is well for Otmar Szafnauer unless Laurent Rossi has some other plans in mind. Because Alpine’s press statement has nothing but good to say about the new Vice President.

Alpine Publicize Bruno Famin’s Achievements In Latest Press Statement as Otmar Szafnauer’s Loses Power

As you read this, Famin is taking over the responsibilities of his new post. Szafnauer will now report to Famin and not directly to Rossi. So, there is some change in his role, irrespective of what Famin says. Famin will not only oversee the F1 team but all Alpine motorsport teams. This includes endurance racing, customer racing, and the Alpine Academy. And with the vast and varied experience he brings, Alpine is very happy to welcome him.

Alpine said in a statement, “With this appointment, Bruno Famin will be in position to leverage his extensive experience in motorsports, built on his unique track record of victories, including several titles in Le Mans and Dakar.”

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Famin has also worked as an FIA executive before this. So maybe he can prevent Estaban Ocon from getting hundreds of time penalties. So, for now, Alpine has made good use of Reynolds’ investment and for French fans, the team can hopefully turn things around.