### “Otmar Szafnauer Critiques Aston Martin’s F1 Struggles: ‘Is It Really a Great Place to Work?'” —

Aston Martin's struggles in F1 come under review: “Is the work environment truly exceptional?”

“Is the work environment truly exceptional? Is there genuine teamwork?”

Otmar Szafnauer has raised concerns about the ongoing struggles of his previous F1 teams, Aston Martin and Alpine, as they persistently fail to deliver strong performances in the 2024 season.

Otmar Szafnauer held a high-ranking position when the team was known as Force India, and he continued to play an important role as the organization transitioned into Racing Point and ultimately became Aston Martin.

During his tenure, Force India often exceeded the performance of teams with much larger budgets, a trend that continued until 2020.

Since the team rebranded to Aston Martin and received significant investments from Lawrence Stroll, they have generally failed to meet expectations, with the exception of the first half of 2023.

Szafnauer departed from the team in 2022 and later took on the role of team principal at Alpine for a period of 18 months.

Reflecting on Aston Martin's disappointing performance this year, Szafnauer commented on the James Allen on F1 podcast: "Lawrence [Stroll] has established the necessary infrastructure to make it a leading team," Szafnauer remarked about Aston Martin.

"They’ve brought on board some talented individuals, and I was involved in that process. They have two skilled drivers, both of whom I've had the chance to work with – Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso."

“For reasons I’m not entirely sure of, I anticipated that their performance on the track would be somewhat better than it currently is. It seems they were possibly the sixth or seventh fastest team at Silverstone.”

"I expected them to be competing for the top three positions, or at the very least, the top four. Clearly, something isn't right or is off course. I can't pinpoint what it is; you need to be more involved to grasp the issue."

Szafnauer suggested that the growth in their facilities might have affected the effectiveness of their teamwork.

Szafnauer questioned whether it is truly an excellent workplace and if genuine collaboration is happening. He wondered if everyone is working together towards the same goals. He also asked if there is a leader who comprehends the entire vehicle and makes wise decisions regarding various trade-offs, including aerodynamics, mechanics, car handling, and drivers.

"I'm not sure, I've been out of the loop, but I recall our actions back when I was involved."

Since Szafnauer left, Alpine has seen several adjustments in their management team, with Oliver Oakes recently being named the new team principal.

Szafnauer believes that Alpine was making progress under his guidance before he was ousted.

"Alpine represents a fresh start," he said. "It's disappointing that I wasn't able to keep moving forward on the path I had taken."

"My role involved persuading skilled engineers and talent—those at the mid-level who are crucial for performance—to join our team because of the project we were developing."

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