The Team Principal Podcast

Otmar on Vasseur's Ferrari future, Alpine chaos and what Lance Stroll is really like

On the latest episode of The Team Principal Podcast, host Otmar Szafnauer - the former TP of Alpine and Aston Martin - is joined by Ben Anderson to discuss the increasing pressure Fred Vasseur is coming under at Ferrari. Should he be given more time or is an exit inevitable, and what would Otmar do in his shoes? Otmar also opines on the latest drama to envelope Alpine, with Renault CEO Luca de Meo's sudden departure, and shares his thoughts on what Lance Stroll is like to work with, and whether the Canadian ever received special treatment as the team boss's son... Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today [https://open.acast.com/networks/67f9268d2308a71dab8db95a/shows/6819ae2bf30c20bff775e8a1/episodes/75.the-race.com/offer123] - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop [https://shop.the-race.com/] - members get a 15% discount! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Otmar on his plans for a 12th F1 team, Alpine upheaval and losing Piastri to McLaren

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. Get 75% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today [75.the-race.com/offer78]- we even have an F1-only tier! Head to patreon.com/therace [75.the-race.com/offer78] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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. Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an F1-only tier! Head to Patreon.com/therace [https://patreon.com/therace%20]  * Follow The Race on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wearetherace/], X  [https://twitter.com/wearetherace]and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wearetherace] * Check out our latest videos on  [https://shop.the-race.com/collection/calendars/]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTxfj0BzL-MaCy-YUqPRoQ] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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... SPECIAL OFFER: Get 90% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an F1-only tier! Head to Patreon.com/therace [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/ac68194a-f6db-11ea-a6b3-4f85e866207a/podcasts/2ad70f2a-a388-11ec-bca4-b33503ffbb8e/episodes/eba02d94-45da-11ef-bf58-6bd361b923a1/Patreon.com/therace] * Follow The Race on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wearetherace/], X  [https://twitter.com/wearetherace]and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wearetherace] * Check out our latest videos on  [https://shop.the-race.com/collection/calendars/]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTxfj0BzL-MaCy-YUqPRoQ] * Download our app on  [https://shop.the-race.com/collection/calendars/]iOS [https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/the-race/id1641803037] or Android [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theracemadialtd.therace] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.