Otmar Szafnauer open to F1 return but not necessarily as team principal

Szafnauer leaves the door open to Formula 1 return

Former Force India, Aston Martin and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer says he remains open to returning to Formula 1, but a second act in the paddock would not necessarily involve taking another team principal position.

“It does fulfil a lot,” Szafnauer said of his podcast work. “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.”

“Not necessarily team principal because I've been there, done that,” he explained. “And it seems like nowadays the team principals are more ex-race engineers.”

A different view of team leadership

Szafnauer also questioned whether experience as a race engineer automatically provides all the skills needed to lead a successful Formula 1 organisation. He stressed that his comments did not apply to every engineer, but argued that the demands of the team principal role can require a different combination of abilities.

The leadership question is particularly relevant to Alpine, where Szafnauer’s former team remains the subject of continued scrutiny. Our Alpine 2026 half-season report examines the team’s progress, lost momentum and fight with Racing Bulls.

“You can't have two popes”

Reflecting on his departure from Aston Martin after Martin Whitmarsh arrived as group CEO, Szafnauer warned against overlapping authority. He said he had been both CEO and team principal before Whitmarsh took most of those responsibilities within weeks.

“He said, ‘You can do this 20% stuff at the track,’ and I'm thinking you can't have two popes,” Szafnauer recalled.

Since leaving Alpine after the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, he has joined Jake Humphrey and Rob Smedley on the podcast, become CEO of Van Amersfoort Racing and launched the EventR app. His comments suggest that, if Formula 1 calls again, the key issue will be finding a structure in which responsibility is clear and his experience is used effectively.