Aston Martin confirms Szafnauer’s departure! Who will replace him as team boss?

Aston Martin confirms that Otmar Szafnauer is out as team principal. Speculation about his departure had already surfaced earlier, and he was even linked to the Alpine team at the end of last year. So who will replace him in this position?

Szafnauer technically joined the team back in 2011, but back then the stable was called something completely different and was owned by Vijay Mallya. He left the then Force India in 2018, which resulted in the creation of an entirely new team (Racing Point – ed.).

Then, in late January 2020, wealthy businessman Lawrence Stroll announced he would buy the team for £182 million, whereupon Szafnauer, as team boss, later confirmed the renaming of the team to Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team.

So as you can see, Szafnauer has indeed been through several earthquakes in this stable and has seen a lot. But now Aston Martin has confirmed that his stint is slowly coming to an end.

However, there has been speculation about his departure for some time now, with the Motorsport website claiming in November that he seemed ready to take on that leadership role at Alpine, whereupon Szafnauer responded that he was definitely not going to leave the team.

Apparently, long-term contracts don’t play such a big role in Formula 1. In fact, Aston Martin announced Szafnauer’s departure today, Wednesday 5 January 2022.

“We would like to thank him for his service to the team over the past 12 years and wish him well in the future,” the team said in a statement.

“Fortunately, we are led and managed by a strong group of individuals, so it won’t be a bad idea to take some time to explore the possibilities before announcing the new team structure. The team is currently focused on preparing the most competitive car possible for the start of the 2022 season,” Aston Martin said.

With no official announcement from Aston Martin on a replacement, it’s unclear who might replace Szafnauer as team boss. Lawrence Stroll, however, has a wealth of contacts and, not least, financial resources.

It is therefore safe to assume that a very interesting name will certainly join the team.

F1, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, Twitter