Rossi: Safnauer is the real boss of our team

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi is delighted to have once signed a contract with Otmar Szafnauer, who became team leader early this year…

Laurent Rossi: “We have full confidence in Othmar, he is the real boss of our team and it has always been that way since he came. There was a small transition period when I handed over the company, but I’m most proud of signing him a contract.

He does his job every day, directing the team. In some cases, for example – we discuss contracts with riders, but we knew in advance how everything would go. Sometimes we agree on certain boundaries that need to be agreed, I need to be aware of what’s happening – we communicate constantly.
Last year I was much more involved in the work of the team when it had no leader for a while. The presence of management is necessary and I needed to understand the work of the team before making any changes.

This year I will come to the Grand Prix much less often, at the beginning of the season – two of the three stages, now I will be present at every second stage, and maybe less often – more often is not necessary.

My tasks at Alpine are much broader. At the end of the year I have 17 reports to make, only one of which is on Formula 1. We build cars, expand the dealer network. I need to think about go-to-market strategy, marketing and branding. Sixteen other reports are equally important, so it’s no surprise that I don’t go to every Grand Prix.”