Szafnauer: Renault doesn’t understand how to work in F1

After the first five stages of the season, Alpine F1 remains one of three championship teams without points – perhaps never has there been such an unsuccessful year in the history of the Renault factory team. Of course you remember it from 1979, but this was only Renault’s second season in Formula 1, and everything was completely different then.

Since the French group’s return to the championship, management has repeatedly made loud statements, setting a time frame within which the team must become so strong that it can challenge the leaders, but this has never happened. And the dismal results on the circuits in 2024 are already giving rise to rumors about a possible sale of the team, although these are categorically denied.

Former Alpine F1 chief Otmar Szafnauer, who was fired midway through last season, doubts whether Renault understands how to structure the work of a Formula 1 team to ensure success.

“As far as I’m concerned, they don’t understand it,” Szafnauer told The Race. – But here we should talk not only about Renault, but in general about all major car manufacturers, even those traditionally associated with racing.

Working in motorsport is very different from how a car company functions, so this cannot be intervened on and must be handled by experts.

The specialists working on the championship teams are distinguished by the highest qualifications, level of education and, most importantly, they really love sports, hence the strong desire to achieve victories. There is nothing like it in the automotive industry.”

Alpine F1 now attributes the shortcomings of this year’s car to shortcomings of previous management, but Szafnauer obviously disagrees. According to him, the only fundamentally important decision that affected the situation in 2024 was the completely logical transition to a new chassis. When the technical regulations in Formula 1 changed, in 2022 and 2023. the Enstone team used largely the same chassis, while the A524 was a new development.

But the team took over after he, sporting director Alan Permain and technical department head Pat Fry left the team, so they cannot be held responsible for the current car’s shortcomings.

“Alan and I parted ways with the team in July and after we left they started working on the 2024 car project,” Szafnauer recalls. “By then Pat was no longer on the team either. Therefore, of course, those who are not aware of this can say that we are the culprits of all the problems, but I don’t think so.”