Team Principal Podcast: Otmar on his plans for a 12th F1 team, Alpine upheaval and losing Piastri to McLaren
The Race F1 Podcast
The Race Media Ltd
4.5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Team Principal Podcast returns with exciting news, as Otmar Szafnauer brings us up to speed with on his plans to get a 12th team onto the F1 grid. Alongside his deputy TP Ben Anderson, Otmar explains why he thinks F1 would benefit from a 24-car grid and how he plans to make his vision a reality.
After that, Otmar and Ben go over recent events at Otmar's old team, Alpine. Otmar shares his views on the latest leadership crisis at the Anglo-French squad, and weighs in on the decision to stand down Jack Doohan just six races into his rookie season for Franco Colapinto.
And finally, after some cheeky recent comments from McLaren boss Zak Brown, Otmar sets the record straight on what happened with Oscar Piastri's contract situation at Alpine, including why he was helpless to prevent McLaren poaching the current championship leader back in 2022.
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Transcript
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| 1:15.1 | The Athletic |
| 1:16.6 | What's the toughest job in F1? |
| 1:22.1 | The driving? |
| 1:23.4 | Forget about it. |
| 1:24.6 | That's the easy part. |
| 1:26.1 | The hardest job in F1 is, without doubt, running a team. |
| 1:30.5 | And I should know. |
| 1:32.0 | I'm Atmar Saffnauer, and I've served as team principal for both the Aston Martin and Alpine F1 teams. |
| 1:39.7 | From signing drivers to getting stuck into F1 politics, I've done it all. |
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