Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed he is involved in bringing another American team to the grid, with a project with American investors considering a possible entry into Formula 1 as an 11th team.
Szafnauer has not had a full-time role in F1 since being dropped from Alpine at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix. However, having gained a wealth of F1 experience through his involvement with the BAR, Honda, Force India and, finally, Alpine himself, Szafnauer is looking at opportunities to return to the top flight once his gardening period is over.
In the meantime, he has been working on a new route management app called EventR, which is being used in F1 and other motorsports. In James Allen’s latest F1 podcast, released on Tuesday, Szafnauer spoke at length about his ambitions and revealed that there is a new project that aims to enter Formula 1 in the coming years.
“I’m a competitive person and the thing I like the most is competition. So, going back to a role where I can’t influence the competitive level of the team, I don’t think I would be interested in,” Szafnauer said.
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal, Alpine F1 Team
Picture of: Motorsport Images
“If it was a role where I could help develop, build, attract the right people to improve the competitiveness of a team, I would be interested. But there are only 10 teams. A lot of them already have people in those roles. So, I don’t know how many opportunities are out there, but there is also the possibility of the 11th and 12th team. So that could be an interesting thing for me.”
“I’ve been working with some companies in North America that have the funding to create an 11th team. It’s not Andretti. We’re just putting some of the pieces in place now to make sure we have everything we need to both start a team and get a team entry and be successful. So that’s interesting as well.”
The potential expansion of F1’s grid to 11 teams has been a controversial topic over the past year, with the FIA deciding to open up the selection process. But while Andretti Global’s was a viable plan, the American company’s hopes were dashed when F1 owner Liberty Media rejected its application, not believing that an additional team would add value to the championship.
Andretti continues to push ahead with his project as work on the 2026 car continues at the new factory in Silverstone, but it is unclear how he will persuade F1 to change its mind.
It’s unclear who the American investors Szafnauer is linked to are, but F1 is experiencing a huge surge of interest in the country. Szafnauer’s involvement in the project would be a boost because he knows the dynamics of F1 paddock politics inside out, and some suggest Andretti hasn’t helped his cause by being so vocal about how he’s been treated.
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