Safnauer: Vettel and Alonso are very similar in some ways

Otmar Szafnauer managed Force India quite successfully, which first changed its name to Racing Point and then became Aston Martin. But this spring he took on Alpine F1, Renault’s works team, and in an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS spoke about the start of the work in this post, also drawing a comparison between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

Q: When did you start working at Alpine?
Otmar Safnauer: Third March.

Q: How did you get started and what have you already done?
Otmar Safnauer: I started by trying to remember the names of all the employees. But I haven’t been able to finish the job yet. I already know everyone who works on the flight team, but there are 835 people on the team. It is necessary to understand the structure of the organization, its working methods, in order to realize the first improvements earlier than can be expected.

Q: Tell us about your first impressions at the Alpine base in Enstone and the engine department in Weary?
Otmar Safnauer: Everything I saw was really impressive. State-of-the-art infrastructure, wind tunnel, CFD department, bench test equipment, research department… All in all, very good. But when we talk about equipment, it requires certain improvements, because some small things are still missing.

Q: Have you already made a plan for the modernization of the machine?
Otmar Safnauer: While we are at the stage of information accumulation, because we need to make sure that the results of research in the wind tunnel match what we see on the track. At the same time, the team is preparing technical innovations, which we plan to implement in all races.

Something has already been presented in Melbourne and we are preparing an important series of updates for Imola. We are working on several programs, including reducing the weight of the machine.

Q: What are Alpine’s results that could be considered good this year?
Otmar Safnauer: It’s not just about the results: first of all I want stability throughout the season as a whole. We race to win, but if the success is unexpected and the team is unstable, it means we need to improve the average level of results that the team shows throughout the year.

Last year the Alpine car was sixth, but thanks to the efforts of the riders, the team finished 5th in the Constructors’ Championship. This year we can take a step forward: if our car is fifth fastest, and the team can take 4th place, that’s great.

Q: What can you say about Fernando Alonso?
Otmar Safnauer: This is my first time working with him and I like that he is constantly striving for high results, asking the team to be more active in the modernization of the car, but also a lot of himself and the people asks around him. He is very talented and still wants to win.

In qualifying, Fernando can make the car run faster than any other driver I’ve ever worked with. This is a special gift that not everyone has. He also races very well and together with Esteban Ocon, a younger driver, they make a great duo.

Q: Last year you worked with Sebastian Vettel – is it possible to compare them somehow?
Otmar Safnauer: In some ways they are very similar. They are different people, but they place the same demands on the team in pursuit of higher speeds, and their modes of operation are much the same. I think Sebastian is giving the team more detailed information about how the machine works, and Fernando is focusing on those aspects that can immediately bring the greatest possible benefit. He immediately starts with the most important.

There are some differences, but they share the same thirst for victory and the desire to constantly improve the results.

Q: When Fernando says he wants to drive for another two or three years in Formula 1, does he mean he would like to drive for Alpine?
Otmar Safnauer: Of course I don’t know what he means exactly, but I hope Fernando is talking about our team. We consider him a valuable asset, he helps us a lot to show good results on track. He is currently driving for Alpine F1 and any future decisions will be made in July or August.

Source: F1 News

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