‘Can’t Have a Baby in a Month’: Days After Brutal Betrayal, Otmar Szafnauer Lashes Out at Alpine in Fiery Outburst

Alpine is going through some “serious drama”, said Peter Windsor after the recent flurry of top management exits. The axing of their Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer, and Sporting Director, Alan Permane are the latest big changes to the Enstone outfit. Alpine said in a statement that both of these decisions were taken based on “Mutual agreement”. But the stunning reply that Szafnauer has given today shows that there was nothing “mutual” about the “agreement”.

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney came on board Alpine, the team go more publicity than they ever had. As if that was not enough, the entire senior management has gone through a huge transformation. For the new owners, laying off and replacing is the name of the game. Now, onto that pile, Szafnauer has added the spiciest quote of the year.

Finally, the American-Romanian Team Principal spilled the beans on his exit. Szafnauer said in an interview with Sky Sports Germany, “The reality is that changes take time. I signed some good people from other teams, but they are still stuck in their contracts and won’t come until 2024 or join the team in 2025. You can’t really push development if people aren’t there. It takes time for people to come and it takes time for people to work together correctly. I always say: You can’t get nine women pregnant and hope you have a baby in a month” [translated via Google]

Read More: Broken Promise by Alpine Made to Otmar Szafnauer Justified by New Team Principal With Stone Hearted Confession

Netflix’s Drive to Survive episode based on Alpine’s 2023 F1 season is going to be an absolute thriller. Szafnauer, with just one quote, is going to steal the limelight from DTS star Guenther Steiner. But one thing that should break Szafnauer’s heart is that his driver, Pierre Gasly showed his might after the former’s firing.

Pierre Gasly Shows His Might a Bit Too Late as Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer Gets Axed One Race Weekend Too Early

In the sprint shootout on Saturday, Pierre Gasly put in a flying lap that put the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez to shame. That lap put him right up in P6. And luck favored him in the sprint race later on in the day, as rain played spoilsport for half the grid. He secured P3 in the initial stages and held off 7-time champion, Hamilton till the end.

The Frenchman got the podium but for his Team Principal, it came a race weekend too late. Nonetheless, Gasly was happy for himself and the team. “I must say it feels amazing and I am extremely happy to finish in the top three, especially here in Spa, which feels like a home race for us without the French Grand Prix,” said Gasly, as quoted by Supersport.

Szafnauer must be in a conundrum right now. The drivers performed at their best at the worst possible time for him. If this happened one week earlier, the boss might still have had his place. Nevertheless, everybody except him will be looking forward to Alpine’s episode on ‘Drive to Survive’.

WATCH THIS STORY | Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Invested $0 to Acquire 24% Stake in Alpine F1 as Wrexham Masterplan Continues to Pay Dividends