Ousted Alpine F1 boss Otmar Szafnauer open to joining Andretti: "I'd love to help"

Ex-Alpine F1 boss Otmar Szafnauer has revealed he’s held talks with Andretti about joining their new team.

Szafnauer was ousted as Alpine team principal during the middle of 2023.

The former Aston Martin boss is still out of work as he serves the remainder of his gardening leave.

Andretti are gearing up for their potential entry in 2025, but they’ve still not had confirmation from F1 that their application has been approved.

Speaking to Motorsport Magazine, Szafnauer revealed Michael Andretti had been in touch before he joined Alpine.

“I have had some discussions with Michael Andretti, he’d called me even before I went to Alpine, and I told him I’d love to help him,” Szafnauer said.

“They have to get the F1 entry first, because without an entry how can I help him? If they are accepted then I will be able to discuss getting involved, getting them started, getting them moving.”

Szafnauer is itching to get back into F1 and feels he still has a lot to give to a team.

“I’d like to continue but it’s got to be in a position where my experience, my skill sets, can be put to good use. I reckon I have another five to seven years in me,” he added.

“Maybe I have too high an opinion of myself… but I believe I still hold the skill sets to enable me to put a good team together to be competitive in F1. So that’s what I want to do.

“Right now, I have the desire, but I am biding my time while I cannot compete due to the provisions of my gardening leave. Pretty soon, [2024] hopefully, I can get back into the sport. Problem is, I am a little bit impatient.”