"You used to be able to run the team but you’re not running it anymore" – Alpine boss describes situation behind his move from Aston Martin

Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that his reduced influence within Aston Martin following an organizational restructure was the main reason behind his departure from the British squad.

The American left the Silverstone-based outfit ahead of the 2022 season and subsequently joined Alpine as team principal. Speaking to GPFans following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he said:

“They made it very clear to me the responsibilities that I used to have before were never given back. “It was at the last race [in Abu Dhabi last year] I was told ‘You used to be able to run the team but you’re not running it anymore’.”

Claiming that his responsibilities would have made him stick to Aston Martin, he said:

“Once it became clear the management structure was going to be as such, I didn’t have the influence I thought I should have with Martin [Whitmarsh] coming in. Had the responsibilities not been taken away from me, I would have stayed.”

Aston Martin hired former McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh to oversee their F1 operations late last year. Meanwhile, Szafnauer has revealed that Alpine wanted to hire him for his vast experience in the sport. He added, saying:

“All my discussions with the seniors [at Alpine] said the reason they wanted me to come was because of all my experience in Formula 1 and to apply that and help us in the aim to win races. When the fellows that are hiring you say that you feel very confident that is what they’re hiring you for and they want your experience. That’s why I went with the experience.”

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Alpine gunning for the “best of the rest”

Otmar Szafnauer says Alpine will continue to add more performance to their car and is hoping to maintain their current position in the constructor’s standings. Speaking to Crash.net following the Saudi Arabian GP, he said:

“It’s super tight, the midfield. The learning curve on this car is so steep that it’s going to be a development race, so we just have to keep adding performance to the car. It is where it is right now but it’s not going to be the same tomorrow unless we add performance, at least the same rate as the others and what we’re trying to do is to add performance at a quicker rate to the others.”

While the three top teams ahead seem out of reach for now, Szafnauer is confident that the team can stay ahead of Haas and Alfa Romeo.