Need to turn out to be a Formulation 1 group principal? Effectively, present proof would recommend that if you happen to’re white, male, someplace between 50 and 70 and German is your house language, you’ll be set.
Okay, so maybe it’s not essentially the most numerous group of people heading up the ten groups that at present make up the Formulation 1 subject. However not less than there are not any mounted CV necessities for touchdown certainly one of these coveted however difficult roles.
As you’ll discover out on this article, it’s good to have an engineering background and a information of how groups run – however former racers, expert administration sorts and hard-nosed businesspeople are additionally fascinating. And it could seem that if you happen to’re the entire above, you’ll go far within the group management recreation. Let’s meet who’ve executed precisely that – and take a more in-depth have a look at what they do.
What’s a group principal in F1?
In easy phrases, the group principal is the boss of a Formulation 1 group. In some languages – notably German, which six of the present set converse at dwelling – ‘boss’ is successfully the phrase they use as job title. As such, the group principal’s place is obvious sufficient. The buck normally stops with them so far as the Formulation 1 group’s efficiency is anxious.
There was a time when group principals and house owners/founders had been usually one and the identical – assume Colin Chapman (Lotus), Bruce McLaren or – most enduringly – Frank Williams. They may even have occurred to design the automobile (Chapman), work on it within the pits (Williams) or drive and engineer it (McLaren).
These days, group principals don’t get their fingers soiled, a lot much less drive. They’re usually employed workers. They might maintain shares, however that’s it so far as it goes by way of possession.
The truth that fashionable group principals are employed displays the fact that F1 groups not function in isolation. In some circumstances, they’re a part of a wider organisation with which they share expertise, folks, premises and historical past – Ferrari being the basic instance right here.
Pink Bull Racing, then again, is an instance of a group owned by an entity from a completely completely different world. Between these two extremes, there’s a spread of ‘governance’ set-ups. However it suffices to say that F1 group principals all have bosses. Bosses who desire a return by way of outcomes.
Frank Williams, Williams
Picture by: David Hutson / Motorsport Photos
What does an F1 group principal do?
The one factor each F1 group principal does is function the general public face of the group. They offer countless press interviews by which they converse on the group’s behalf, each away from the monitor and through race weekends.
In addition they characterize the group’s curiosity within the political and sporting sense, for instance in conferences with the governing physique, race stewards and different groups. Although they’ll usually have specialists at their aspect relying on the event, that is the place diplomatic and enterprise expertise come in useful.
One other important function is that of individuals administration – shaping a (hopefully) successful surroundings and construction. Certain, you might be an engineer at your core, however a group principal can’t be the kind of one who will disguise behind the storage and pore over numbers. As is the case for the pinnacle of any organisation, they’ll want to have the ability to step again, see the larger image and make choices accordingly.
A type of choices – and doubtless an important – is what they need to somewhat delegate than attempt to do themselves. A Formulation 1 group is made up of extremely specialised folks equivalent to race engineers, strategists and mechanics. Practically all of them know extra about their specialist space than the boss does. So it’s key for the group principal to make sure the correct individuals are employed, given the correct construction to work in, after which trusted.
That stated, some group principals are extra hands-on than others. That is the place kinds will differ in keeping with their administration philosophy and ability units. Some might favor to take a supervisory function in all issues. However for others, if there are areas the place they will provide particular experience, then they could do precisely that!
Toto Wolff, Group Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos
• Group: Mercedes• Time with the group: Since 2013• Wins as group principal: 114
This Austrian former racing driver, who turned 50 in 2022, isn’t solely group principal but additionally a considerable shareholder. He’s answerable for all Mercedes-Benz motorsport actions, a lot within the method of his German predecessor Norbert Haug.
Wolff was a useful racer, however switched his focus to sportscar racing after a stint in Formulation Ford in Austria and Germany within the early 90s. He gathered a couple of successes with out setting the world alight, and his motorsport legacy will undoubtedly be his more moderen work off the monitor. He was a director with Williams earlier than switching to Mercedes, the place he and his countryman Niki Lauda – who handed away in 2019 – turned synonymous with the successes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and extra.
Wolff is married to Scottish former race driver Susie (beforehand Stoddart), who can be CEO of the Venturi Racing Formulation E group.
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Pink Bull Racing Group Principal
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Pink Bull – Christian Horner
• Group: Pink Bull Racing• Time with the group: Since 2005• Wins as group principal: 84
It’s somewhat ironic that whereas two of the ten F1 group principals are Austrian and 6 are German-speakers, the job of operating Austria’s group belongs to the one Englishman on the scene.
Like Wolff, Christian Horner is a former driver. He went loads additional by way of single-seater racing, nonetheless, reaching the lofty heights of FIA Formulation 3000 within the late Nineties. At that time, he based the Arden group, which makes Horner one of many final owner-drivers to have competed at a excessive degree in single-seaters. By the tip of 1998, nonetheless, he had determined that his power lay behind the pitwall somewhat than behind the wheel.
Seven years after quitting driving on the age of 25, Horner graduated from F3000, by which Arden had by then amassed a number of titles. Pink Bull, who had purchased the Jaguar F1 squad, appointed Horner boss of its eponymous operation for its debut in 2005.
It proved an ideal match, with the Brit overseeing the group’s gradual rise to frontrunner standing, after which a glut of titles for Sebastian Vettel. Unmoved from his pitwall perch to today, Horner can be well-known for his ‘stressed leg’ throughout tense races – and being married to Spice Woman Geri Halliwell.
Mattia Binotto, Group Principal, Ferrari
Picture by: Ferrari
Ferrari – Mattia Binotto
• Group: Ferrari• Time with the group: Since 1995• Wins as group principal: 7
With a reputation like Mattia Binotto, you could be forgiven for assuming the Ferrari group principal is Italian. However he’s truly Swiss: he was born in Lausanne and studied Mechanical Engineering there. That tells you Binotto isn’t any paper-pushing bureaucrat: he’s a nuts-and-bolts technical man at his core.
He’s additionally a textbook instance of how one can work your manner up from the underside in a giant organisation. He joined the Formulation 1 take a look at group in 1995 as a Check Engine Engineer. From there, he stepped up into an analogous function within the race group and, after a couple of stops alongside the way in which, turned Chief Technical Officer in the summertime of 2016.
Lastly, in 2019, Binotto was promoted to group principal. He dovetails this Formulation 1 function with duties as managing director of the broader motorsport division.
Otmar Szafnauer, Group Principal, Alpine F1
Picture by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Photos
Alpine – Otmar Szafnauer
• Group: Alpine • Time with the group: Since 2022• Wins as group principal: 0
Szafnauer obtained to the place he’s by the use of a sidewards step within the Formulation 1 midfield. Beforehand with Aston Martin, the Romanian-born American departed the group in January 2022 earlier than resurfacing at Alpine the next month. Upon his appointment, he pledged that Alpine would struggle for the world championship inside 100 races – that’s earlier than the tip of 2026, in different phrases.
Although primarily a businessman by commerce and coaching, Szafnauer can level to somewhat racing on his lengthy CV, because of a spot of Formulation Ford within the early Nineties. However it was off the monitor that he started to make his title, leaving an extended profession at Ford Motor Firm to turn out to be Operations Director at new Formulation 1 group British American Racing in 1998.
He then did a stint with Honda earlier than becoming a member of Power India in 2009 and rising to turn out to be group principal there – by which era it had turn out to be Aston Martin.
Andreas Seidl, Group Principal, McLaren
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photos
McLaren – Andreas Seidl
• Group: McLaren • Time with the group: Since 2019• Wins as group principal: 1
Andreas Seidl got here to McLaren from some equally heavy-hitting motorsport manufacturers.
Earlier than his appointment to the Woking group in 2019, he’d been group Principal for Porsche’s profitable LMP1 sportscar programme. And the engineer from Passau got here outfitted with Formulation 1 expertise because of his function as Head of Monitor Operations at BMW Sauber from 2007-2009. This was a part of over a decade spent in key motorsport roles for the Bavarian large.
Seidl is simply the fifth group principal at McLaren, following founder Bruce McLaren, Teddy Mayer, Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh. There may need been not less than one other on the listing, however Dennis abolished the place in 2014 in certainly one of his final performs on the group, calling it ‘outdated’.
Solely upon Seidl’s appointment did the job title make a comeback.
Franz Tost, Group Principal, Scuderia AlphaTauri on the AlphaTauri Faenza tour
Picture by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Photos
• Group: Alpha Tauri • Time with the group: Since 2005• Wins as group principal: 2
Identical to Christian Horner over on the ‘large sister’ group that’s Pink Bull Racing, Franz Tost has held his group principal function since 2005.
One other former racer who had determined to retreat into group operations, Tost was additionally appointed by Pink Bull following its takeover of one other group – on this case Minardi. It was, after all, dubbed Scuderia Toro Rosso at the moment.
Born in 1956, Tost is the oldest group principal on the F1 grid on the time of writing. The Austrian grew up idolising native hero Jochen Rindt, and took the prospect to race when it got here alongside in his twenties. He competed in varied Austrian junior classes for six years, successful the Formulation Ford 1600 title in 1983. After quitting racing a few years later, he labored his manner up on the planet of group administration.
His first Formulation 1 function was with Williams, the place he stayed for 5 years earlier than Pink Bull got here calling.
Frederic Vasseur, Group Principal, Alfa Romeo Racing
Picture by: Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo – Frederic Vasseur
• Group: Alfa Romeo • Time with the group: Since 2017• Wins as group principal: 0
Frederic Vasseur got here by the ranks as a group boss in a lot the identical manner a driver would. After finding out engineering and aeronautics, the Frenchman based his personal group in 1996.
Operating initially beneath the ASM banner, and later as ART, it gathered trophies for enjoyable within the junior formulae. Amongst different successes, Vasseur oversaw Lewis Hamilton’s Formulation 3 Euroseries and GP2 titles within the mid-2000s.
With a CV like that, it was maybe inevitable that Formulation 1 groups would come calling. Certain sufficient, Vasseur joined Renault as group principal in 2016. However regardless of the French connection, the connection solely lasted a 12 months.
When Vasseur subsequent surfaced in mid-2017, it was on the German-speaking aspect of Switzerland, the place he took up an analogous place with the Sauber group. Regardless of the group’s change of title to Alfa Romeo, he stays within the function.
Guenther Steiner, Group Principal, Haas F1
Picture by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Photos
Haas – Gunther Steiner
• Group: Haas • Time with the group: Since 2014• Wins as group principal: 0
Like Tost, Steiner is a German-speaking veteran hailing from the Alpine area. Although a decade or so youthful, he too arrived in Formulation 1 across the flip of the century. However the Italian – who additionally holds American citizenship – obtained there by means of rallying, the place he began as a mechanic and labored his manner as much as handle the Ford World Rally Group in 2000 and 2001.
His transfer into F1 got here as managing director at Jaguar, however he remained just for a few seasons. After a 12 months off, and a stint with the Opel DTM group, he turned Technical Operations Director on the new Pink Bull Racing group – earlier than shifting to North Carolina to work on Pink Bull’s motorsport operations in America. It was there that he made the contacts that finally led to him being appointed to construct the Haas Formulation 1 group from the bottom up.
Although group principal has been his title from the very starting of the mission, Steiner is exception in that he might be thought to be its hands-on founder too.
Andy Cowell, Group Chief Government Officer, Aston Martin group member within the storage
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
Aston Martin – Andy Cowell
• Group: Aston Martin• Time within the function: Since 2025
Andy Cowell changed Mike Krack as Aston Martin’s group principal for the 2025 season. The swap got here after Cowell first joined the organisation in July 2024 to exchange Martin Whitmarsh as group CEO after working for Mercedes’ Excessive Efficiency Powertrains division between 2013 and 2020.
On account of the change, Krack is now the chief trackside officer for the Silverstone-based squad after slightly below three years in his earlier place. Cowell has huge expertise in motorsport and in addition to taking part in a vital function within the championship wins for Mercedes, the Briton has additionally served as an engineer for BMW and Cosworth.
Jost Capito, CEO, Williams Racing, within the group principals Press Convention
Picture by: FIA Pool
Williams – Jost Capito
• Group: Williams • Time with the group: Since 2020• Wins as group principal: 0
Slotting in between Tost and Steiner as one of many elder statesmen of the F1 group principal corps, certainly one of Capito’s biggest strengths is the community he brings from a lifetime in varied motorsport disciplines.
His competitors profession, which lasted a couple of years, culminated in his crew successful the truck class of the Paris-Dakar in 1985 in a Mercedes-Benz. Later within the Eighties, he turned concerned in Porsche’s racing division, then switched to Sauber. After that got here an extended profession in rallying, the place he performed a key function for first Ford after which Volkswagen, culminating in 4 straight World Rally Championship titles for VW from 2012-16. By then he was additionally in control of VW’s complete motorsport programme.
Lastly, within the autumn of 2016, Capito made it to the highest of the motorsport world with what turned out to be a really temporary gig with McLaren. After one other stint at VW, he joined Williams as CEO in late 2020, following the group’s acquisition by Dorilton and the departure of Frank and Claire Williams from the management.
For 12 months, Simon Roberts was group principal beneath Capito, however the latter then added the function to his board duties in 2021.
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