Inside the world of F1 politics, Red Bull's driver swap, and paying tribute to EJ
The Team Principal Podcast is back! On episode 2, Otmar Szafnauer - the former TP of Racing Point, Alpine and Aston Martin - is joined by Ben Anderson to get into the thorny subject of F1 politics.
They begin by discussing internal politics at Red Bull, and whether they played a part in the team dropping Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda after just two races. Otmar also shares his thoughts on how fellow TP Christian Horner has managed the situation.
After that, Otmar discusses the times in his career where he’s had to deal with intra-team politics, including the time he had to resist pressure from a team owner to sign a particular driver, and the time he had to convince Alpine management to capitalise on uncertainty around a driver’s contract. He also explains how team culture is essential to prevent political in-fighting within a team, and how politics contributed to his Alpine exit.
There’s also chat about inter-team politics, and the tactics teams use off-track to gain an edge over the opposition. Otmar also recalls the time he found himself in the middle of a political storm over the so-called ‘Pink Mercedes’ affair, and explains how and why alliances shift between teams. He also takes us into a meeting of team principals, explains how bosses use the media for their own benefit, and much more.
Plus, after Eddie Jordan’s sad recent passing, Otmar pays tribute to a fellow team principal gone too soon.
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1:04:31
How to integrate a new driver into an F1 team + which 2025 line-up is hardest to manage?
On the very first episode of his new show, The Team Principal Podcast, former Aston Martin and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer is joined by The Race's Ben Anderson to discuss how a team principal goes about integrating a new driver into a team.
First, Otmar talks about Lewis Hamilton's switch from Mercedes to Ferrari and the role Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur will have played in helping the seven-time world champion settle over the winter.
Otmar offers his thoughts on what he'd do if he was in Fred's shoes, and then contrasts that approach with the approach Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will have to adopt to help Hamilton's replacement - rookie Kimi Antonelli - settle into his new life as a full-time grand prix driver.
Within the discussion, Otmar reveals the techniques and strategies he used in his own career, and explains why being able to adapt your approach to suit the unique personality of each driver is so important for a team principal.
To round off the episode, Otmar casts an eye over 2025's driver pairings, giving his team principal's take on which of the duos will be the most harmonious, which he'd like to manage, and which he expects to provide fireworks...
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59:12
Introducing... The Team Principal Podcast, with Otmar Szafnauer
As the former team principal of the Racing Point, Aston Martin and Alpine F1 teams, Otmar Szafnauer knows a thing or two about what it takes to run a multi-million dollar Formula 1 operation, and he's here to share that wisdom with you on his brand-new podcast!
Alongside his deputy TP, Ben Anderson, Otmar will share honest, unfiltered stories from his career, and use his unique viewpoint to reflect on breaking F1 news, as only a former team boss could.
He’ll also be joined by guests, including current and former F1 team principals, to discuss the thorny business of running a modern Formula 1 race team.
Be sure to like, follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode!
In F1, the drivers may get the glory, but it’s the team principals who are under the most pressure. As the key figure in a multi-million dollar sporting organisation, the team principal has the challenging job of hiring and managing star drivers, overseeing the technical office that designs the cars, supporting the commercial team in securing sponsors, managing costs within a strict budget cap, and, of course, overseeing the running of two cars on grand prix weekends.
Only a select few know what it takes to do the job, and Otmar Szafnauer - host of The Team Principal Podcast - is one of them.
As the former team principal of the Racing Point, Aston Martin and Alpine F1 teams, Otmar will share honest, unfiltered stories from his career with listeners, and use his unique viewpoint to reflect on breaking F1 news, as only a former team boss could.
He’ll also be joined by guests, including current and former F1 team principals, to discuss the thorny business of running a modern Formula 1 race team.
UK