Aston Martin is, as you’d expect in Formula 1, a team in a hurry. Owner Lawrence Stroll, one of Canada’s richest men, is not used to finishing second.
After signing up for team ownership, as opposed to sponsoring his son Lance, the pedal was on the floor. He wanted to be Ferrari yesterday.
The departure of team boss Otmar Szafnauer can be seen as a consequence. The moment ex-McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh took over as Group CEO in September, Szafnauer’s position was untenable.
Although Stroll insisted that there were no dual roles, in reality there was only room for one leader. The term “group” is crucial here because there doesn’t seem to be any outside of the team.
More of formula 1
It appears that, although Szafnauer was asked to report to Whitmarsh, he immediately understood that there was only one throne. Not wanting to share it, he saw no reasonable future in the team and left.
There will be no shortage of offers. In his 12 years with the organization, first as Force India and then as Racing Point, he moved the team from 9th to fourth. The drop to seventh place last season was a consequence of the late aerodynamic changes to the floor design, which hit Aston Martin and Mercedes the hardest.
Aston Martin didn’t have the resources to solve Mercedes’ problem and decided early on to focus its efforts on the 2022 car instead.
Szafnauer is not the only employee who has left Stroll, under whose leadership the atmosphere and direction of the team have changed.
Stroll is a man who isn’t used to finishing second (Photo: Getty)
Stroll is a micromanager with a much more hands-on approach than former Force India magnate Vijay Mallya, who enabled Szafnauer to perform the operation without interference.
As the results show, Szafnauer squeezed every inch of performance out of a limited budget that resulted from the feeling of togetherness and inclusiveness he created.
Under Stroll, who made his fortune in the fashion industry through the brands Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors, there is no room for mood. He knows how business works and believes he can use the same aggressive methods in Formula One. Hence the rapid upscaling of investments in personnel and infrastructure.
Whitmarsh wasn’t the only high profile appointment. Mercedes chief aerodynamicist Eric Blandin, Red Bull Aero chief Dan Fallows and Alfa Romeo chief designer Luca Furbatto have all been recruited. And just last September, Stroll announced the £ 200 redevelopment of the team’s Silverstone site to include a new wind tunnel and simulator as he seeks to get Aston Martin to the top of the grid.
More to Sports comment
This is a path not unlike that of Toyota, who threw more than £ 3 billion into Formula 1 during their nine-year stint and didn’t win a race between 2002 and 2009.
Stroll has set itself the goal of conquering the sport for five years. The irony is that with a higher appreciation for human knowledge and the wise advice of Szafnauer, he might have got there faster.
In a statement, the team shifted into neutral gear: “Otmar Szafnauer has left the company and will continue to run until a successor has been appointed within the management team.
“We would like to thank him for the work he has done for the team over the past 12 years and wish him all the best for the future.
“Fortunately, we are led and guided by a strong group of individuals and we like to take the time to explore options before announcing a new team structure.”
