Axed Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that he intends to “lose weight”, following his shock firing from the Enstone-based team.
Szafnauer was sacked by Alpine ahead of qualifying at the recent Belgian Grand Prix, alongside ex-sporting director Alan Permane.
Ironically, Alpine went on to claim third in the Belgian GP sprint race, courtesy of Pierre Gasly.
Szafnauer was stunningly seen leaving the circuit on Sunday before the race had even gotten underway, which ended up being another average affair for the French outfit.
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Having done so well in 2022 to claim fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, 2023 has been a disappointing year for Alpine.
The side currently sit sixth in the standings and will likely finish no higher, due to all five teams ahead of them being podium contenders.
Prior to his sacking, Szafnauer had come under fire from Laurent Rossi, who was recently removed as the team’s CEO and given a new role.
Alpine haven’t made the same progress this season that they made last season; however, the competition has gotten tougher.
Alpine only find themselves in sixth due to Aston Martin and McLaren having made remarkable progress, which has seen the two teams challenge the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.
The French outfit weren’t exactly having a bad season, but at the same time they weren’t producing any sensational results.
Most of their points finishes have come after finishing towards the bottom of the top 10, something Esteban Ocon achieved at Spa-Francorchamps where he claimed P8.
Szafnauer ultimately isn’t sure why he’s been fired after leading the team for 18 months, with him noting that Alpine’s questionable results haven’t always been their own fault.
“I don’t know why this decision was made,” Szafnauer told Servus TV.
“We had four retirements in a row but none of them were actually due to the team.
“But if the decision-makers don’t have the right information, they can’t then take the right steps.”
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The big question now is what’s next for the Romanian-American, something he’s not even sure about just yet.
For the time being, he’s planning on taking some time off, where he’ll try to “lose weight”.
“I’m only going to take a few weeks or months off now and try to lose weight,” Szafnauer revealed. “I might run a little and go to the gym every day.”