Sports
Otmar Szafnauer is Force India COO
MUMBAI: The Force India Formula One Team’s chairman and team principal Dr Vijay Mallya confirmed at its Silverstone headquarters that Otmar Szafnauer has been appointed to the position of Force India COO.
Szafnauer will take over the role from Simon Roberts, who has now completed his one year secondment from McLaren Applied Technologies.
Otmar has a wealth of Formula One experience having held, amongst other senior motorsport management positions, director of strategy and business planning for Honda Racing F1 Team and operations director at British American Racing.
He will now take over Roberts’ direct responsibilities, including overseeing factory and trackside operations and will ensure maximum productivity from all Force India in-house departments.
Furthermore, he will liase with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to strengthen the existing relationship.
Roberts, meanwhile, will return to McLaren Applied Technologies to take up a senior management role and will continue his involvement with Force India from the other side of the partnership. Roberts will remain in his current position until 2 November.
Dr Mallya commented, “We are sad to see Simon go as he has been a crucial linchpin in the transition to the McLaren and Mercedes drivetrain and his dedication and professional stewardship has led the team to achieving its first-ever podium in F1. However, he was always on secondment and we knew we would have to let him return to the McLaren fold. We are confident that Otmar, with his wealth of F1 experience, will be a worthy successor and will continue the strong upward trend we have seen in the last half of the season.”
Sports
Ashish Limaye bags gold and bronze at Montelibretti 2026 event
Indian rider shines in Italy, gains ground ahead of higher-level tests
MUMBAI: Ashish Limaye delivered a strong performance on the international stage, clinching both gold and bronze at the FEI Eventing Competition Montelibretti 2026 held in Italy earlier this month.
Competing against riders from across the globe, Limaye secured the top podium finish in the CCI 2 Long Format riding Easy Turn, registering a score of 30.2 in a field that featured participants from five nations. He followed it up with a bronze medal in the CCI 2 Short Format aboard Willy Be Dun, scoring 32 in a much larger and highly competitive pool of 66 riders representing nine countries.
Reflecting on the outing, Fédération Equestre Internationale event rider Ashish Limaye said, “Riding at Montelibretti was amazing. To compete with such talented riders from around the world was fantastic. I’m really happy with the results and the effort our team has put in.”
Beyond the podium finishes, Limaye also achieved a milestone result on D’Avril du Pinier, earning a Minimum Eligibility Requirement, bringing him closer to qualifying for the FEI World Equestrian Games.
While the Montelibretti competition was not a direct qualifier for major multi-sport events, it serves as a crucial stepping stone as Limaye prepares to move up to the more demanding CCI 3 level.
With momentum firmly on his side, the Indian rider now looks set to build on this success as he targets bigger stages in the global equestrian circuit.
