The Imola GP weekend is set to be particularly significant in the development of Ferrari’s 2024 season. Not only because the race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will be the first home stage to welcome the fans again, but also because it is precisely in Emilia-Romagna that the Cavallino engineers have scheduled the track debut of the package of updates to the SF- 24: a crucial point for the continuation of the championship, which will allow us to outline the balance of power on the track in the events to come. Not without an important change also in the organization chart: in a note on social media, the Maranello team has in fact announced that Bryan Bozzi he will be Charles Leclerc’s new race engineer, replacing the Spaniard Xavi Marcos Padros.
FUNDAMENTAL ROLE
—
A novelty that seems of little importance but which in reality can be decisive for the fate of a driver. The track engineer (or Race Engineer in English, as stated in the Ferrari note) is in fact the terminal of the team’s work in the factory and in the pits, the person responsible for communicating via radio with the driver during the race weekends to discuss of setups, strategies or various information, such as those on possible dangers on the track, on penalties or on the positions of rivals. In short, a person who must have maximum harmony with the pilot, encourage him at key moments and keep him calm and focused when things are not going according to plan. Not surprisingly, very often between the champions of the steering wheel and their respective race engineer friendships are created that go far beyond simple radio teams: the most obvious example is that between Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington, the famous “Bono” to whom the seven-time world champion often turns during the GPs, or that between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase, considered one of the key men in the Red Bull garage.
Don’t miss the entire new season of Formula 1® and MotoGP™ live streaming only on NOW! Activate the Sports Pass from €9.99 per month and enjoy Sky sports in streaming!
XAVI MARCOS CHANGES
—
Returning to Leclerc, Ferrari has decided that starting from Imola the new track engineer will be Bryan Bozzi, until now Charles’ Performance Engineer and with ten years of experience in the team. Bozzi will take the place on the pit wall that belonged to Xavi Marcos until the last Miami GP. The Spaniard has worked alongside Leclerc since the Monegasque’s arrival at Maranello in 2019 and was confirmed in the role at the start of this season, albeit many fans have long criticized certain communication difficulties and the apparent lack of reactivity in key moments. According to what was communicated by the Cavallino, Marcos “will contribute with his significant experience gained in the Formula 1 team as a track engineer to the development of other important company programs”. Instead, he will remain alongside Carlos Sainz Riccardo Adamiwho before working with the Madrid native had acted as track engineer for Sebastian Vettel.
