"You couldn't make up" Racing Point season - Szafnauer

Racing Point

"You couldn't make up" Racing Point season - Szafnauer

Racing Point dealt with positive Covid tests, rival protests as well as the congested season

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Wednesday 23 December 2020 09:28

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Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer has labelled the team's 2020 season as one "you couldn't make up".

The team finished fourth in the constructors' championship with the first victory to its name, despite losing both drivers in Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll to Covid-19 at different points of the season.

Following a delayed start to the campaign, it also found itself embroiled in a design-legality saga which resulted in a 15-point deduction that ultimately cost it third place in the standings, and with it another £4million in prize money.

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When asked if he could have imagined the scenarios that took shape over the course of the year, in an interview with GPFans Global, Szafnauer replied: "No, it is one of those things where fact is stranger than fiction, you couldn't make it up."

Szafnauer has revealed he was able to battle his way through by remaining grounded and not reacting emotively to the numerous situations that arose.

"I think the way you cope is just to have a very rational thought process, not emotional," he added.

"Just take bitesize chunks out of everything you have got to do and make sure nothing overwhelms you. You have the old saying of, if you want to walk around the world, you have got to start with the first step. It is like that with us too.

"Make sure you take it as it comes and make sure you do a good job with whatever is thrown at you and once that's passed it's the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.

"That's the only way to do it. Otherwise, if you look at it as a whole at one time, it is just overwhelming."

The back story to Racing Point's travails on track was naturally dealing with Covid-19, like all the teams and personnel involved which led to the formation of 'bubbles' and the passing of numerous tests in order to participate.

For Szafnauer personally, it was a situation he found bizarre, and one for which he is still seeking a resolution.

"Weirdest experience for me is up the nose, really deep Covid testing," explained Szafnauer with regard to the testing sticks being jabbed up his nostrils on each occasion.

"It has gotten worse. I remember the first time it happened I thought 'Oh boy, I am never going to get used to this,' and I was right. I am still not used to it."

"So, I have trained myself that when I come in on a day I need to have the test done so that it's not hanging over me the whole day because that's just worse. Just get it over with."