Szafnauer warns: General Motors should not 'underestimate' its entry into F1

At 60 years old and with 25 years of experience, Otmar Szafnauer is an important voice in the world of Formula 1…and General Motors had better listen to him. The American-Romanian leader, now free after his short experience as Team Principal at Alpine from 2022 to August 2023, warned the American group of the risks of an arrival in Formula 1. GM will make its debut in the premier class in 2026 with a brand new team, which will be launched via the Cadillac brand. The new team will initially rely on Ferrari to supply engines and gearboxes in 2026, before producing its own in-house engine from 2028.

For Otmar Szafnauer, even though GM is one of the largest automotive groups in the world, the challenge of arriving in Formula 1 – starting from scratch, or almost – is an immense challenge that should not be taken lightly… "The only thing I would worry about if I were a GM executive is underestimating the task ahead to be competitive in Formula 1," he said on the podcast. Business of Winning. It seems that people or organizations that haven't been involved don't realize how difficult it is. I didn't realize how difficult it was either."

Szafnauer and the BAR example

Because yes, the ex-Team Principal ofAlpine knows what he's talking about. After working at Ford, Otmar Szafnauer arrived in Formula 1 in 1999, with the new British American Racing team (better known as BAR) founded by Craig Pollock. The British team, backed by a cigarette company, had big plans and very ambitious goals, including winning races and championships in its first years in competition. Alas, in six seasons between 1999 and 2005, BAR did not win a single race or a single title... The Romanian manager admits to being excessively naive, and says he was convinced by Adrian Reynard - who was then designing chassis at BAR - that the team would win from the start.

“I believed it because the skill level I saw in front of me was so much higher than anything I had ever experienced and I thought these guys were going to do it, explains Otmar Szafnauer. Adrian had won in all the other lower formulas in his first race, including in IndyCar. So I thought he knew what he was talking about, that we were going to do it… Do you remember how many points we scored the first year? Zero!” BAR was eventually bought by Honda in late 2005, while Otmar Szafnauer remained with the Japanese manufacturer until 2009 before joining Force India.

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