Inside the F1 driver’s bubble: What does a race engineer actually do?

Modern Formula 1 teams are huge companies with hundreds of employees all working hard to try to be the best in the sport. But within these vast organisations there are the teams within a team – the small cadre of people centred around helping each driver perform at their maximum.

In a new series of features, Formula 1.com is delving into those bubbles to gain a greater understanding of the lives of those who work closely with the stars of F1. In this piece, Aston Martin Head of Performance Optimisation Ben Michell explains how the key relationship between driver and race engineer works…

Every time a driver climbs into the cockpit they are ensconced alone in one of the world’s smallest offices. But back in the garage – and at their respective factories – they have a team of specialists studiously working to ensure that every ounce of performance is extracted from both the driver and their machine. And the link from the driver to all that expertise, data and experience is the race engineer – the person we hear talking to them over the team radio when they’re out on track.