Q&A with Otmar Szafnauer

Otmar, how would you sum up the last couple of months in the factory – has it been a relatively straightforward winter?

“The stability in the technical regulations has made things a bit easier this year. Some of the designs can carry over from 2015 into 2016, but we’ve had to manufacture a couple of new chassis, suspension components, and all the mechanical parts, which has kept the factory very busy. There’s also a new aero package, which is an evolution from 2015, but still requires a lot of production work over the winter to be ready for the first test.”

Does the strong performance in 2015 put extra pressure on the team?

“It does, but we take the increased expectation as a positive. We must consolidate our fifth place and target teams such as Red Bull Racing and Williams – teams we were matching in the second half of 2015. Seeing our drivers on the podium more regularly is another goal for 2016.”

The success of the b-spec car was the surprise of the 2015 season. Can we expect big aero steps in 2016 as well?

“The wind tunnel programme in Cologne is maturing nicely and I’m encouraged by the gains we have made over the winter. We’ve found our rhythm with the tunnel and adjusted our working practices to improve efficiency. The same is true of our CFD tools in Brackley, where we invested heavily in 2014, which means we are making better use of our supercomputer capacity. The first major aero updates should be on the car in time for Melbourne and we also plan another big step for the start of the European season.”

2016 sees consistency with drivers, technical personnel and regulations – that’s a real positive…

“Stability in any area of the team normally brings benefits and performance, so an unchanged line-up is good news. Nico is beginning his fifth season with us and Checo his third, and that means they both know the team very well and vice versa. I think that counts for a lot because it’s not easy to build harmony and get a team gelling well together. We’ve worked hard to achieve that in most areas and it’s not something you can build overnight. It’s definitely one of our strengths.”

The team has recruited some young development drivers. What hopes do you have for them in 2016?

“Alfonso Celis joined us at the end of 2015 and tested the VJM08 in Abu Dhabi. He’s a development driver who will spend time on our simulator and take part in seven practice sessions at Grand Prix events. Our most recent recruit is Nikita Mazepin, a young Russian who will begin a comprehensive development programme as part of a long-term association. As a team we’ve always tried to give opportunities to young talent and nurture their raw abilities to lead them to success. I hope Alfonso and Nikita make the most of this opportunity.”

Where does the team need to improve in 2016 compared to previous years?

“We missed some opportunities last year with too many retirements in the races – whether through mistakes, failures or bad luck. So we need to address that this year and improve our finishing rate. We also need to bring improvements to the track faster. We saw last year the significant step we made with the b-spec car and it’s definitely a regret that we had the technical capability but not the resources required to introduce it earlier in the season.”

How is the relationship with Mercedes?

“This year marks the eighth year of our collaboration with Mercedes. They look after us incredibly well and there are absolutely no complaints from our side. The strength and reliability of the powertrain has played an important role in our competitiveness.”

What can we expect from Formula One in 2016?

“Given the stability of the rules, there’s every reason to believe we can carry the momentum of last year into 2016. I think the entire field will close up – that always happens with stable rules – and the battle to get inside the top ten will be fierce. So from a fan perspective I think 2016 is going to be very entertaining with good racing throughout the field and especially in the middle of the pack.”