RaceFans Round-up: GM must beware how hard F1 is
In the round-up: Former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer says General Motors must be prepared for how difficult it is to be competitive in the series.
In brief
‘I didn’t realise how difficult F1 was’ – Szafnauer
GM has an agreement in principle to enter F1 in 2026 with a new team formed by the Andretti family racing under the Cadillac brand. Szafnauer, who headed up Racing Point (now Aston Martin, previously Force India) and Alpine during his time in F1, admitted he underestimated the challenge of competing in grand prix racing.
“The one worry that I would have if I were a General Motors executive is underestimating the task at hand to be competitive in Formula 1,” he told the Business of Winning. “It seems like people or organisations that haven’t been involved don’t realise how difficult it is. I too didn’t realise how difficult it was.”
Szafnauer arrived in F1 with British American Racing in 1999. He said he was convinced by chassis designer Adrian Reynard’s prediction that they would win on their debut.
“I believed it because the skill level that I saw in front of me was at such a higher level than what I experienced,” he said. “And I thought for sure these guys are going to do it.
“Adrian had won in every other lower formulae, his first race, including IndyCar. So I’m thinking he knows what he’s talking about. We are going to do this. Do you remember how many points we scored in [that] first year? It’s zero.”
New-look round-ups for 2025
This is the final edition of the RaceFans Round-up in its current guise. We will introduce a revised, more compact format for the round-up in the new year which will focus more on contributions from our community as well as some other familiar parts from the existing round-up.
| Become a RaceFans supporter and
Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
If someone tells you that you shouldn’t use hearing protection at a race track, doesn’t matter what series, they’ve probably never been to a race – they’re giving you terrible advice and you shouldn’t listen.
Always protect your hearing.
Kind regards,
Guy with tinnitus— Jeppe H. Olesen (@jeppe_olesen) December 30, 2024
| Become a RaceFans supporter and
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Alvink and Bryce Metzger!
