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Column | The last minute changes which could cause chaos

Column | The last minute changes which could cause chaos

25-02-2022 07:00 Last update: 07:32

Rishi Wig

Rapid adjustments to Aston Martin and Alpine's management have occurred in the last few weeks. Ideally, teams would conserve their structures before a major shift in the regulations, so as to prevent friction and confusion. We take a look at the recent moves and how they may affect the teams for better or for worse.

Aston Martin

Before the start of the 2022 season, Aston Martin announced that the long-serving team principal of “Team Silverstone”, Otmar Szafnauer, would vacate his role. Resultantly, Mike Krack, ex-Head of BMW M Motorsport, was brought in to replace the leaving Szafnauer as team principal of the Aston Martin team. Along with this, Aston Martin is currently undergoing a major physical change as well. With the extra funding from the Stroll consortium, new headquarters are being built to accommodate the rapidly growing team, with construction expected to finish in 2023. The extra investment & new facilities mean that the green team will be preparing their resources to aim for a full-scale world title assault within the coming years.

Alpine

In a move that was rumoured near the latter half of the 2021 season, Otmar Szafnauer made the switch from Aston Martin’s team principal to Alpine’s team principal. Marcin Budkowski parted ways with Alpine resultantly, will his twin head in Davide Brivio has been given the role of “Director of Racing Expansions”. One would assume, that with this project, Brivio would assist in fostering young talent through their programs as well as tending to Alpine’s other motorsport commitments (such as WEC).

By bringing in Szafnauer, Alpine now has a man at the helm who is capable of bringing unity & is highly skilled at “doing more with less”. His feats at the fledgling Force India/Racing Point have not gone unnoticed and they remain a vastly impressive achievement in modern F1. By conserving their driver lineup while also applying their resources efficiently, the team has achieved mighty heights of fourth in the constructor’s standings. Alpine may relish these skills and use them to build an evolved team for their future in F1. 

What now?

All things considered, the Szafnauer/Alpine move was an irregular occurrence as he isn’t French (as most Renault/Alpine principals have been) and he has already held a top position in a highly ambitious team. Some thought has suggested that Szafnauer’s abilities in the smaller and more tight-knit group became outdated upon the Stroll consortium’s acquisition of the team. Alpine may have seen an opportunity by gaining Szafnauer, which could help them run their own operations more efficiently. This would ensure that the team would perform better with less, a point which had disgruntled management in previous years. 

It is certainly not ideal to have such major changes on the threshold of the new season. Major changes to management personnel can lead to significant confusion about the direction of an entire operation. New leaders have their own philosophies & methods, which may not sit well with employees or require some adaptation. While it is preferred to have a steady group to navigate through a major change, it is still feasible to make these changes before the season gets truly underway. It will only be a matter of time to see the effects of these changes.