Szafnauer: “The Decision to Replace Ricciardo Is Understandable”
Starting with current affairs, Szafnauer reflected on Red Bull/Racing Bulls’ decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo: “The value of winning is important in F1, and depending on the stakes, the decision-making process varies. But it’s also true that the difference between P6 and P7, or P6 and P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, is significant. So I understand why a team would consider the risk of losing that position and decide to replace their driver.
Should they do it? The fact is, every team does its best to maximize points in the championship. To answer that question, only the team has access to data that others don’t. What you do is consider first whether someone else might be faster than him [Ricciardo], but also how long they would take to adapt. I remember when Williams decided to drop Logan Sargeant, I thought whoever replaced the American would still need 4-5 races to adapt. But I was wrong. Colapinto adapted almost instantly. So, I understand the decision, because even the value of a single position is very high.”
Szafnauer praised Daniel Ricciardo as a driver, especially based on the data he reviewed when he joined Renault a few months after the Australian’s departure: “I remember when I arrived at Alpine, we had a vacant seat. Then we chose Gasly, and our main references were Hulkenberg and Daniel. I spoke to every engineer, and they all praised Daniel for his speed, even compared to Hulkenberg. In the end, he turned out to be slightly faster than Nico. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened to him this year.”
Sebastian Vettel’s Attention to Detail
When asked about the best driver he has ever worked with, the former Aston Martin team principal had no doubt in choosing Sebastian Vettel, with whom he collaborated at the Silverstone-based team. He stated: “I’ve worked with many great drivers, but overall, I’d say the best was Sebastian. I was deeply impressed by his relentless work ethic. Seb was used to winning—he was a four-time world champion.
To give you an idea, every race weekend, he would always ask his tire engineer to measure the grip level on the main straight at every point. That way, if he found himself leading and needed to restart after a Safety Car, he would know where there was the most grip and where to make his decisive move. Even though the chances of him being in first place at Aston Martin were slim, Seb left no detail to chance.” – he pointed out.
Rubens Barrichello’s Incredible Sensitivity Behind the Wheel
During the interview, Otmar Szafnauer recalled the early years of his career when he worked with Rubens Barrichello at Honda: “Let me tell you an anecdote. When we were at Honda, we were doing a test, and after a few laps, Rubens told us the tires were shifting on the rim under braking, which he interpreted as a loss of grip. I was incredulous and said, ‘How can you even feel that?’ On top of that, the grip between the tire and the asphalt diminishes before the tire slides on the rim, causing the shift. But he was adamant.
We decided to mark the rim and the tire at the same point, and after a few laps, we indeed found he was right—by just a few degrees. His ability to perceive such minute details really impressed me!”
Advice for Norris
In conclusion, the American executive spoke about which driver he’d like to have in the future: “Probably Max [Verstappen] or Lando [Norris]. I say Lando because I know his father, and he tells me that his son is always very self-critical. So I think that if he improved in this aspect, becoming more positive and optimistic, he could perform even better than he does now, as he’s already an excellent driver.”
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