On the very first episode of his new show, The Team Principal Podcast, former Aston Martin and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer is joined by The Race’s Ben Anderson to discuss how a team principal goes about integrating a new driver into a team.
First, Otmar talks about Lewis Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari and the role Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur will have played in helping the seven-time world champion settle over the winter.
Otmar offers his thoughts on what he’d do if he was in Fred’s shoes, and then contrasts that approach with the approach Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will have to adopt to help Hamilton’s replacement – rookie Kimi Antonelli – settle into his new life as a full-time grand prix driver.
Within the discussion, Otmar reveals the techniques and strategies he used in his own career, and explains why being able to adapt your approach to suit the unique personality of each driver is so important for a team principal.
To round off the episode, Otmar casts an eye over 2025’s driver pairings, giving his team principal’s take on which of the duos will be the most harmonious, which he’d like to manage, and which he expects to provide fireworks…
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9 Comments
3mins11s…..
Ta
Unfortunately, I was never a fan of Otmar when he was the team principal at Force India, but after listening to him on the 'High Performance' podcast several months, I suddenly became a huge fan of his.
His story about paying his employees out of his own pocket is just incredible. He actually did it twice.
This is my 3rd podcast with Otmar, and I can't help hoping that he's back in F1 as a team principal very soon.
Good luck!
3:11
Well done with this first episode, can't wait for more
Great addition! Otmar will bring so much depth with all his experience 😊
Yes Otmar 👏👏
World's number 1 Ocon hater!
What an addition!!! Just hook it to my veins!!