In F1, drivers get the most attention, because they are the ones driving the cars to victory. This is followed by team principals, whose job is to lead an outfit, making sure they function well behind the scenes. Another job, however, that is coming into attention more and more every single year, is that of the race engineer. With the sport’s ever-growing popularity, many aspire to take up the job of becoming an F1 race engineer someday.
An F1 race engineer’s presence is ever constant, during a driver’s journey to stardom. In other words, a driver will likely not achieve any success, without a race engineer providing constant inputs throughout a Grand Prix weekend.
What is a race engineer’s job?
A race engineer keeps a tab on the car that a driver is driving during a Grand Prix weekend. He is constantly in touch with the driver via team radio, and keeps providing them with information regarding the car’s performance, and what they need to do to extract more.
In addition, race engineers monitor the driver’s performance. Their lap times, their handling, who is in front of them, who follows them, and more – all these things are relayed to the driver by the race engineer.
They also have a firm hand in managing the car’s mechanics, and can remotely adjust several settings of the car, for example, its suspension or aerodynamics.
F1 race engineers always have to be at their sharpest, make sure their driver is approaching the race in the right mindset, and also work on post-race debriefs, to see where they could have improved.
It’s fair to say that there is a lot of work that goes into being a race engineer. The annual salary for an F1 engineer ranges from $50,000 to $100,000 approximately. However, top-tier teams like Red Bull can even pay race engineers over $100,000 annually. But what does someone who aspires to be a race engineer actually have to do?
How to become an F1 race engineer?
People from various engineering backgrounds and qualifications can get into F1 but the requirements get more streamlined as they climb higher up the ladder. The basic answer to the question is – to have a solid engineering degree and relevant experience in the field of motorsports. But that would be putting it simply.
A solid educational background would be the bare minimum. Degrees in mechanical or automobile engineering, for example, coupled with studying Math and Physics is a huge plus. Of course, getting into the sport with just this does not help aspiring race engineers, as they need to build a strong resume.
This resume, as expected, will only come through work experience and that has to involve a firm hand in the field of motorsports. Volunteering for racing activities is a great way to delve into this world, and from here on, things would ideally, only go upwards.
There are lots of ways to climb up the ladder for one aspiring to be a race engineer. They could become a data engineer, a performance engineer, an analysis engineer, or even a systems engineer. These help them get familiar with the world of motorsport, and finally F1 as a whole.
After a few years of experience, if deemed fit, they can be promoted to becoming a driver’s race engineer. But there is another thing that teams consider, keeping technical and work qualifications aside.
What else do budding engineers need to do?
Aside from the aforementioned, a potential race engineer needs to be confident, smart, and well-spoken. Communication is an absolute must for them for two reasons.
Number one, the drivers rely on them for information to be relayed. During high-pressure crunch situations, they have to keep their cool and pass on what the drivers need, even if the situation is affecting everyone around them.
One could ask about Peter Bonington’s (Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer) composure during the final lap of the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Or, on a more daily basis, Gianpiero Lambiase, who has to deal with Max Verstappen’s frustration and anger issues.
Number two, they have to be well-spoken in front of the media. Because often, it is their job to speak to external stakeholders, and they have to say the right things at the right time.
How much do F1 race engineers earn?
Formula 1 engineers are not as highly paid as the drivers and team principals of course. In fact, compared to the millions they make, these engineers can make just a few tens of thousands of dollars.
According to Zip Recruiter, F1 engineers can earn as little as $40,000 per year, but as the rank goes up, their salary can go up to $200,000. This excludes the special benefits these people get of course, as they spend nine months on the road, traveling the world for races.
