As the new Formula 1 season approaches, four new team principals have taken their places across the winter to lead their teams’ hopes for the coming season. Here’s a closer look at each of the team leaders:
Red Bull Racing – Christian Horner is the longest-serving team principal on the grid, having held the position at Red Bull since the team joined the grid in 2005. He has carved out a legacy as one of the fiercest competitors in the paddock and is now overseeing the team’s next enterprise, Red Bull Powertrains.
Ferrari – Fred Vasseur is the founder of the successful junior category team ART Grand Prix and is credited with turning around Sauber’s fortunes. He is an intriguing acquisition by a Ferrari team desperate for success after 14 years without a title.
Mercedes – Toto Wolff has been at the helm since 2013 and has overseen the most successful period for a team in F1 history, with eight constructors’ titles in a row and seven drivers’ championships up to 2021.
Alpine – Otmar Szafnauer took post at Alpine shortly after departing Aston Martin last winter and oversaw the team leapfrogging McLaren into fourth in the standings. He is known for not withholding his feelings on important situations.
McLaren – Andrea Stella has a wealth of experience in F1 having served as performance engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, before becoming the Finn’s race engineer, as well as Alonso’s. He is now tasked with steering the ship as McLaren’s new racing director.
Alfa Romeo – Alessandro Alunni Bravi is another new face, taking on the role of team representative alongside his position as Sauber managing director.
Aston Martin – Mike Krack took over duties at Aston Martin last spring and oversaw a turnaround in fortunes. He now hopes to see continuous improvement with Alonso joining the team ahead of the completion of Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art factory complex at its Silverstone base.
Haas – Guenther Steiner, the star of Netflix series Drive to Survive, has helped Haas rise from more than one financial disaster with loss of sponsorship and is now hoping the new deal with MoneyGram will provide a solid platform for improvement.
AlphaTauri – Franz Tost is known for always making his feelings known. He has helped develop numerous drivers through the Red Bull junior system and is now tasked with developing Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda.
Williams – James Vowles has taken the position vacated by Jost Capito at Williams after a disappointing start to life under F1’s new regulations. He is tasked with returning Williams to a competitive state and emerging from Toto Wolff’s shadows.