Szafnauer was born in Semlac, a small village in Western Romania to an American father of German descent and a Romanian mother.

[4] After leaving Honda in 2008,[5] he founded Soft Pauer[6] which released the official Formula One Timing and Track Positioning Application[7] on the iPhone in June 2009.

Szafnauer joined Force India in October 2009 and played an integral role in the team's improved performance with the team going on an upward path, finishing seventh in 2010 and sixth in 2011, 2013 and 2014 before breaking into the top five in 2015 and achieving the team-best finish of fourth in 2016 and 2017.

Szafnauer's efforts also played an instrumental role in the team securing a long-term agreement to use the Mercedes-Benz powertrain from the 2014 season onwards.

[10] In 2013, Szafnauer was inducted into the USF2000 Hall of Fame in recognition of his racing achievements in motorsport over the last twenty years.