Alpine F1 Team boss Otmar Szafnauer is full of hope that his side can beat the Aston Martin F1 Team next season, as the Enstone-based side prepare for life without Fernando Alonso.
Alonso’s switch to Aston Martin for 2023 shocked many throughout the paddock, with the Spaniard predicted to remain at Alpine for another season.
The switch to the British team came as a surprise to Szafnauer himself, who had no idea that his driver had been having serious discussions with Aston Martin.
It’s left Alpine looking for a new driver for 2023, with reserve driver Oscar Piastri having incredibly rejected and denied the team’s attempt to name him as their second driver for next season.
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Alpine will be hoping to get hold of a strong driver, especially given that the French team are ‘best of the rest’ as it currently stands in the Constructors’ Championship.
Szafnauer is confident that his side will be stronger than Aston Martin next year, with the Romanian-American having had the same role at the British team for twelve years prior to his switch to Alpine.
“I know both teams very well and probably know them [Aston Martin] better than any of the staff here, because I was with the other team for twelve years,” Szafnauer told Motorsport-Total.com.
“Right now, this team [Alpine] is performing at a much higher level, of course, it’s hard to predict the future, but in the near future, I’m sure the team will continue to perform at this level, if not better.
“I’m confident that we can outperform the team Fernando is going to in the time he will be there.”
The Alpine boss is very confident in his team, who have benefitted massively from the ‘Mountain Climber’ campaign which has taken place.
It has seen 75 people join the French team to reach their overall goal of “winning in 100 races” of the new generation of the sport.
Plenty of investment has also been ploughed into the team’s equipment at the factory, as explained by Szafnauer.
“And along with the 75 people, there are tools that we are upgrading now, some simulation tools, a new simulator, expanded capacity in manufacturing, some upgrades to our wind tunnel,” Szafnauer continued.
“All with the goal of winning in 100 races.
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“So, these things are still happening here. And they are happening fast. We already have 850 people here.”
Aston Martin’s secret weapon is new technical director Dan Fallows, who left the aerodynamics team at Red Bull Racing, something which has had a massive impact on the upgrades developed for the AMR22.
The team are also working on a new wind tunnel and factory to increase their performance, as they look to become consistent points finishers.