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With Alpine F1 undergoing significant restructuring, the latest reports suggest that Alain Prost has ended his long-standing relationship with the team. Meanwhile, former Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer is expected to join the Anglo-French team. Mondsee-based Austrian water treatment systems manufacturing company BWT, who were the primary sponsors for Force India and Racing Point, are reportedly set to join Alpine as well. Both teams were led under the management of Szafnauer.
Prost raced for the team (formerly Renault) between 1981 and 1983, and returned to the team in 2015 as a consultant and ambassador. The former F1 world champion took up greater responsibility at the team in 2019 by taking on the role of non-executive director with the team that is now Alpine.
The changes come after last week's announcement that Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski has parted ways with the team. Budkowski served as de facto team principal last season, with Laurent Rossi taking over for the time being. Szafnauer is expected to fill Budkowski's former role in the team.
Former F1 driver believes public FIA decision-making is a result of Netflix documentary
John Watson is of the opinion that the popular Netflix documentary "Drive to Survive" is to blame for the public nature of the FIA's decision-making process in the last three years. He claims that significant decisions such as that regarding the last-lap drama at the championship-decider in Abu Dhabi should take place without the bias of the media.
The former McLaren F1 driver told RacingNews365:
“But not as a part of what I feel has become the consequence of the access given to Netflix and Drive to Survive, wherein we’ve now got this type of ‘Support Act’ to the stars. These people, i.e. the FIA and their officers, some of them have become a part of this ‘show’. They’re not there to be that – they’re there to adjudicate. They’re not there to be known or shown or whatever.”
He believes that in an attempt to make the sport more entertaining, crucial investigations are taking place in the public eye. The Briton is of the opinion that the animated conversations between race director Michael Masi and team principals over the radio during races lose the essence of the sport.
