Former F1 chief hails heroic pilots after scary mid-air engine failure

Szafnauer, F1, Alpine, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Former F1 chief hails heroic pilots after scary mid-air engine failure

The former F1 chief was unharmed

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 23 February 2026 18:39

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Former F1 chief Otmar Szafnauer has shared frightening details after his plane suffered an engine failure - hailing the heroism of the pilots for saving the day.

Szafnauer is best known as the former team principal at Alpine and Racing Point, before leaving F1 altogether midway through the 2023 season.

The former chief took to Instagram recently to share his praise for airline pilots after the aircraft he was onboard suffered an engine failure on take off. Luckily, no one on board was harmed, but the heroic act from the two pilots were not lost on Szafnauer.

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Posing for a selfie with the two pilots, Szafnauer wrote: "Many thanks to these two professionals for expertly handling our engine failure on take off."

Szafnauer also shared a haunting picture from the airplane window of a wing amid a bright orange backdrop, and wrote: "Fuel burning from the failed engine."

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Who is former F1 chief Otmar Szafnauer?

Szafnauer first started work in F1 as operations director at British American Racing in 1998, returning to the sport in 2001 via Honda and rising to the role of vice president of their racing operations.

The Romanian-American then joined Force India in 2009 and remained right through their sale in 2019, where they began to compete under the name Racing Point.

When the pink cars suddenly turned green following the arrival of Aston Martin, Szafnauer left the team in 2022 and assumed the role of Alpine team principal.

Szafnauer's role was short-lived at Enstone however, becoming one of the many team bosses sacrificed on the Alpine merry-go-round and was replaced by Bruno Famin, who departed the following year.

Since then, Szafnauer hasn't undertaken a major leadership role in F1, although in 2025 revealed he was plotting a return via a 12th team, and said to The Race: "The finances are in place. What I can tell you is that the financiers are serious people and they have the financial wherewithal to be able to fund a Formula 1 team.

"The car manufacturer that also wants to join Formula 1's in place. It's just a matter of the timing being right to actually get the opportunity to start the 12th team.

"And perhaps in the near future, there might be some for sale."

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Alpine Otmar Szafnauer