‘Otmar Szafnauer once paid millions in salaries out of his own account. Toto Wolff would’ve sent an invoice. Christian Horner would’ve written a press release.’
Twelve teams, one dream, and a man who once paid millions out of his own pocket to stop the lights going out at Force India.
Otmar Szafnauer’s back — and he’s not here to make up the numbers. The grid might soon have one more team… and possibly the only boss brave enough to pay payday out of his own wallet.
2009–2018: The Underdog Years
• Otmar joins Force India and helps transform the backmarkers into midfield podium-snatchers.
• Despite a shoestring budget and just 400 staff, the team regularly punches above its weight — think Rocky if he wore pink and built V8s.
2018: Crisis and Cash
• The team enters administration.
• Szafnauer quietly wires millions from his funds — twice — to cover staff wages.
‘• Some live paycheque to paycheque, he said. And I understood that.’
• Only a handful knew. The rest just got paid.
2024–2025: The Comeback Plan
• Now, Otmar wants back in. But not as a guest. He’s bidding to launch a 12th F1 team.
• He argues that F1 can (and should) support more than 11 teams — for fans, drivers, and the sport’s soul.
• His leadership ethos? A boss who understands both aero and accounting — and still knows what payday means to his people.
‘If Christian Horner is F1’s theatre, and Toto is its opera, Otmar Szafnauer is the reliable Swiss watch keeping it all running behind the scenes.’
