F1 News
Famin blamed Szafnauer for current Alpine woes: Former boss now responds
After his surprise departure from Alpine last year, Otmar Szafnauer has doubts about his successor Bruno Famin. According to the former team boss, Famin does not have the right understanding of what it ultimately takes to be successful in the sport.
Blame lies at the top
Along with sports director Alan Permane, Szafnauer left Alpine midway through the 2023 season. This departure was caused by a disagreement over the expected timeline for the team's success. According to Szafnauer and former technical director Pat Fry, Renault was unwilling to aim higher than fourth place. "Not just Renault but big car companies, even car companies that have racing as part of their DNA, shouldn’t meddle. It’s so much different from a car company, you should just leave it to the experts," Szafnauer told The Race.
Alpine team boss Bruno Famin claims the current car stems from Szafnauer's former regime, but the Romanian-American disagrees. "Alan and I left in July and after we left, they started on next year’s car," Szafnauer said. "And Pat had resigned by then as well. So to the uninformed, you can say all these problems were caused by those guys, but I don’t think so."
Famin claims Renault has never been so involved with the team. Whether this is true will be seen in 2026 when the new regulations ensure Alpine has to make a big leap forward.