Reports: Aston Martin Boss Otmar Szafnauer Rumored to Leave & Join Alpine F1

Aston Martin is on its path to becoming a successful team over the next five years. Lawrence Stroll’s famous ‘five-year-plan’ hopes to make the team a championship contender. While this includes bringing in new personnel, some well-known names are moving out. This may include Otmar Szafnauer, as we hear whispers of the team boss shifting to Alpine.

This reconstruction of Aston Martin has been an enormous process, however, Otmar is a well-loved name in the team; Szafnauer has been with the team since its Force India days. Nonetheless, the move might be a good thing for the American, who is under apparent pressure because of Lawrence Stroll and his new leadership structure.

If he moves to Alpine, Otmar will take on the role of racing director. The man he replaces, Davide Brivio, had joined Alpine for a quiet role in the 2021 season and may look to go back to his roots at Moto GP.

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Although the rumors are yet to be confirmed, there has been no speculation about who will be replacing Otmar in Aston Martin. However, with such sizeable changes being brought about at Aston Martin, the rumors can’t be far from reality.

Understanding the move from Aston Martin to Alpine

Alpine F1 CEO, Laurent Rossi, is also looking to rebuild his empire. Not too surprising considering both Aston Martin and Alpine haven’t had the best seasons on the constructor’s board. The new regulations are giving the teams a clean slate, and apparently, that means new management.

Rossi had said, “is it the right organization for the next set of challenges and to carry on climbing the ladder? Well, I will assess that at the end of the season.” Evolution seems to be the common theme.

To understand Szafnauer’s role in this evolution, it’s important to remember that Alpine has three bosses. Unlike Cyril Abiteboul, who was the sole team principal at Renault, the rebranding to Alpine meant a new management structure. The three bosses are the executive director, Marcin Budkowski, and racing director Davide Brivio; both report to Rossi. Otmar will be taking Brivio’s post.

Szafnauer is incredibly popular within his team, but the weak link is with Lawrence Stroll. The two don’t seem to agree with each other’s roles, a problem that shouldn’t be there with Rossi, who seems compatible with Szafnauer’s principles.

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