After drivers, F1 team bosses get on the merry-go-round

LONDON: Renault-owned Alpine had a cheeky response when four of their Formula One rivals replaced bosses in a managerial merry-go-round this week.

Alpine posted a picture on Instagram of principal Otmar Szafnauer, appointed on Feb 17, holding a mobile and looking quizzical.

"Checking your phone and realising you are the fifth longest tenured team principal in F1 after only nine months in charge," read the caption.

Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, McLaren and Williams have all announced post-season departures and/or arrivals this week in the sort of upheaval usually featuring drivers rather than bosses.

Szafnauer is in fact the sixth longest in his current job, with Aston Martin's Mike Krack just ahead of him after being appointed on Jan 14, but a point was made.

Only four of the 10 principals have been in position for more than a year, with Red Bull's Christian Horner leading the way. The Briton, now 49, was the youngest of all when he arrived in 2005.

Toto Wolff, whose Mercedes team posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday captioned "BREAKING: we've got nothing to announce, so here's a photo of the boss," has been in charge since 2013.

The other long-timers are AlphaTauri's Franz Tost, appointed in 2006 when the team changed from Minardi to Toro Rosso, and Netflix star Guenther Steiner at Haas since they entered in 2016.

There was a time when principals were team founders or owners - men like Frank Williams, Enzo Ferrari, Colin Chapman and Ken Tyrrell - who made up the membership of the paddock 'Piranha Club'.

Their meetings were the distillation of paddock politics, a clash of vested interests and powerful egos, but times have changed.

Wolff is the only one of the current crop who is also a team co-owner, with a third share.

The others are