Early days at Force India
It's been the 12 years that he spent at Force India (later Racing Point, and now Aston Martin) that have really established Szafnauer's reputation within the sport, as he became a major factor in ensuring the team's early success and then its very survival during what proved to be a tumultuous rollercoaster decade.
The obvious role for Szafnauer to fill at Force India was that of chief operating officer, taking an overview of all areas of the team. The post was initially held by Simon Roberts as part of a gearbox supply deal with McLaren, but this was never a long-term arrangement. Force India's new owners were soon making plans for the future and casting around for the right man for the job.
"They said, ‘Simon will probably go back to McLaren and we will have to replace him with somebody, and we like your experience. Can you come to Monza and meet Vijay?’" Szafnauer recalled subsequently. "So I met Vijay in Monza for the first time and we had a chat across the table."
An instant rapport sealed the deal. "Working that closely at that level there’s more than just experience that counts. It’s sometimes personality and chemistry and all those things. Vijay said let’s discuss it further. We did that, and then we shook hands.”
Things started well. When Szafnauer took up his role in time for the penultimate race of 2009, Force India was trudging to last-but-one place in the constructors championship. However the next season saw them improve to seventh in an expanded field of 12 teams, and in 2011 they were up to sixth in the standings ahead of the likes of Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams and Lotus. Szafnauer was undoubtedly making an impact and was duly inducted into the USF2000 Hall of Fame in 2013 in recognition of his achievements in motorsport; but how far would he be able to take the team in his current role?
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
