Every Formula 1 driver has their own race engineer who plays a key role in ensuring that their driver is aware of the race strategy and any decisions being made by the team. They are pivotal in creating an open line of communication to the driver whilst the car is on the track and relay messages which can help with improving performance or even helping to manage the vehicle.
Some engineers even become household names, such as Lewis Hamilton’s engineer ‘Bono’ and Max Verstappen’s ‘GP’. Many drivers will form a close relationship with their race engineers and will retain them for multiple seasons as a sign of trust.
What is an F1 race engineer and what do they do?
The role of an F1 race engineer is to be the key communicator between the team and the driver during the race. They are sat on the pit wall and have to deliver messages from the driver to the engineering team and vice versa.
An engineer must know their driver extensively in order to translate any feedback about the car back to the rest of the team, who can then make any necessary adjustments. They are also responsible for ensuring that their drivers remain motivated whilst they’re on the track and providing any feedback on how to improve their performance.
A race engineer also needs to clearly communicate between the team and their driver, as well as understand the engineering of a car to ensure information is correctly communicated. The trust between a driver and their engineer, means that many will stay together for multiple seasons.
Following any session, the race engineer will look through driver comments alongside relevant data to figure out where they can make improvements for future races.
Here’s everything you need to know about each driver’s race engineer:
Max Verstappen – Gianpiero Lambiase
- Team: Red Bull
- Years together: 7
- Engineer’s years in F1: 18
Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing engineer
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Gianpiero Lambiase – also known as GP – has been Max Verstappen’s race engineer since the current world champion made his move to Red Bull in 2016. Team principal Christian Horner has likened the pair to an ‘old married couple’ due to the engineer’s straight-talking nature with the Dutchman following his on-track outbursts.
Verstappen has frequently praised his race engineer’s direct nature and honesty, adding: “And he’s also a guy who doesn’t talk too much. I…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…