Amid the possibility of a ‘job swap’ in Formula 1 between Otmar Szafnauer and Marcin Budkowski, it was rumored late last year that their departures from Aston Martin and Alpine were each announced within eight days, which has done little to fuel such speculation to dampen.
It would be elegant symmetry if Szafnauer filled Budkowski’s shoes at Alpine while the opposite happened at Aston Martin. After all, it would save all the hassle of garden holidays and non-competition clauses, as it would be to the mutual benefit of Alpine and Aston Martin if both got to work straight away.
But there is more to it than that. Although they have held similar roles at the helm of F1 teams, Szafnauer as team principal of Aston Martin and Budkowski as executive director of Alpine, they were not identical. It’s less because of the difference in titles, as Budkowski was set to take the Team Principal title in 2021 ahead of Cyril Abiteboul’s unexpected departure after being moved to a broader role at the helm of Alpine, and more because of the task, structure and people who are cast they vary from team to team.
While both teams are in the process of working their way out of the F1 midfield, they are at different stages. At Alpine, the major investments in infrastructure and staff have already been made, leaving a team that should be on the verge of a breakthrough at the top. But as Timeline CEO Laurent Rossi clarified last year, that’s not the case – with his 100-race roadmap aiming for 2024 as the point at which it can be a sustained front-runner.
Alpine is somehow less than the sum of its parts, remaining very much in the midfield despite Esteban Ocon’s famous win in Hungary last year. Last year it had the sixth fastest car and only finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship because it had a more balanced driver line-up than the faster AlphaTauri.
So the challenge there is more about forming a sharper, more integrated and more efficient team. This was an aspect that Budkowski was entrusted with as his role allowed him to dominate the various technical departments that had grown rapidly, but it is also a task he sometimes considered given the difficulty of implementing a cultural change on a large scale frustrating found organization that can withstand such changes.
Szafnauer could be very suitable for this. He has vast F1 experience and played a key role in making Aston Martin – in its earlier guises as Force India and Racing Point – the great high flyer of F1. So he has a clear understanding of what it takes to create the right team culture so that it is greater than the sum of its parts.
That would make him the obvious recruit for Alpine as part of CEO Laurent Rossi’s attempt to sharpen the team and make it a more aggressive competitive proposition. Rossi’s role encompasses all of Alpine so he will not be responsible for day-to-day operations, while Davide Brivio’s move to MotoGP to his role as race director has been difficult, making Szafnauer a logical proposition as team principal.
Aston Martin is not as advanced in its development as Alpine. It’s still expanding rapidly, with a major redevelopment of its factory site that includes a new wind tunnel, an ongoing recruitment drive and big ambitions. It’s a team that’s changing, with the balance there hanging on the culture and attitude that have made them punch above their weight and make them a leader. That’s a big challenge.
Former McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh stepped up to the role of Group CEO last year so there’s no indication he would take on day-to-day responsibility for the F1 team. However, since Whitmarsh reports directly to owner and CEO Lawrence Stroll, the team principal reporting to him could have a narrower, more team-oriented role.
Budkowski could fill that position and certainly has the experience on the technical side. However, there are question marks over other aspects of his leadership abilities given the unusual situation he found himself in at times at Alpine, working under Abiteboul and then at best as de facto team principal in 2021.
So whether Budkowski is the right choice for Aston Martin could depend on how exactly the management team is supposed to work as he is not an equal replacement.
That reflects how capable Szafnauer was in the role and also means that Aston Martin could choose to look elsewhere for other skills that Budkowski offers.
If they end up in each other’s former positions, it would be an odd case of role reversal given Aston Martin, then in its Racing Point guise, and Renault ending 2020 in the copycat car war. But when one or both are deemed appropriate, such old enmities are immediately put aside.
