Force India F1 appoints Otmar Szafnauer as COO

Force India stunned the world of motorsport by doing phenomenally well during the later part of the Formula One championship this year. To ensure that the performance is on a climb even in the coming years, Force India has been doing extensive alterations in the management. The latest one is the appointment of Otmar Szafnauer as the COO of Dr Vijay Mallya's F1 team.

The news about Otmar Szafnauer joining Force India came directly from the team's headquarter in Silverstone. Szafnauer is going to take over the position from Simon Roberts who contributed towards the F1 outfit for one year as a secondment from McLaren Applied Technologies.

Otmar is not a new name in the Formula One world. He has previously been associated with leading teams like Honda Racing F1 where he was director of strategy and business planning and prior to that British American Racing (BAR). Otmar is going to administer the factory and trackside operations. He will also communicate with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to deepen the ties between Force India and its engine supplier.

Simon Roberts will take up a senior management position with McLaren Applied Technologies. He will continue to work closely with Force India from the other side of the association.