Former Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer has expressed strong criticism of the lack of patience and realism among the new generation of leaders within Formula 1. According to him, some executives simply do not understand how long the road to success takes. “It’s not a matter of just swapping five players.”
“People above me had no idea how long it takes to become successful in Formula 1,” Szafnauer states on PlanetF1. “They don’t understand that you need good people from the industry. If the bosses don’t see that, you get situations like I’ve experienced: unrealistic expectations, no patience, and a football coach mentality – if success is not forthcoming, the ‘coach’ has to go.”
According to the 60-year-old American, the mentality in the sport has changed. “In the past, the team bosses were people with experience and expertise, like Eddie Jordan, Ron Dennis, Patrick Head, and Frank Williams. They knew what it took to build a team. Nowadays, bosses come from outside the sport, with expectations more suited to football than to Formula 1.”
Szafnauer emphasizes that Formula 1 is a unique sport: “Of the thousand team members, only two are athletes: the drivers. The rest are technicians, engineers, and specialists. It’s not a matter of just swapping five players.”
