Otmar Szafnauer

Otmar Szafnauer is a Romanian and American engineer and a former Team Principal of multiple Formula One teams, including Force India / Racing Point, Aston Martin, and Alpine F1 Team.

Otmar Marin Szafnauer was born on August 13, 1964, to his Romanian mother and an American father in a village in Western Romania. At seven, he moved to Detroit in the United States with his parents. Szafnauer has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's in business and finance.

After joining the Ford Motor Company, Szafnauer was appointed Programmes Manager in 1986. While working here, he attended the Jim Russell Racing Driver School and raced in Formula Ford in 1991.

Falling in love with motorsport, Szafnauer left Ford in 1998 to become Operations Director in the British American Racing team in Formula One. In 2001, Honda made its return to Formula One, and Szafnauer was hired to become a Vice President of Honda Racing Developments as well as a member of the Management Board.

In October 2009, Otmar Szafnauer joined the in the role of Chief Operating Officer and later the Team Principal. Throughout his season spent at Force India, Szafnauer played a crucial role in the team’s improved performance each and every season.

Force India was a team with a lower budget compared to championship-winning teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, or Red Bull. Therefore, Szafnauer’s contributions to the team carry even more significance.

With Szafnauer onboard, Force India finished seventh in the championship in 2010. Then the team improved and finished sixth in 2011, 2013, and 2014. In 2015, the team moved up to fifth place in the championship before achieving fourth place in 2016 and 2017.

Szafnauer stayed with Force India through the transitions of the team to Aston Martin for the 2021 season. In 2022 he joined the Alpine F1 Team as a team principal, however, Szafnauer separated from the team after the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.