More than ever, race engineers are the drivers’ backbone in Formula 1. All communication – whether it concerns technical matters or strategic decisions – goes through the race engineer.
This year, with new regulations concerning energy management and additional tasks drivers must perform in the cockpit, that role may be more important than ever. But who are these individuals that often develop a personal relationship based on mutual trust with their drivers?
Here, we run through every race engineer working with a driver on the 2026 F1 grid.
Lando Norris, McLaren: Will Joseph
Never change a winning team. Lando Norris has worked with Will Joseph since his F1 debut in 2019. Joseph has been with McLaren for 20 years and previously worked with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. In 2023, McLaren briefly experimented with a rotation system, where Jose Manuel Lopez took over the role of race engineer for several grands prix, but this was quickly reversed.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren: Tom Stallard
Tom Stallard is a special figure, as he is not just a race-winning engineer he is also a former Olympian – and not just any, the Englishman won silver in rowing (men’s eight) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has worked at McLaren for years and previously served as engineer for Jenson Button, Stoffel Vandoorne, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo. Since Oscar Piastri’s F1 debut in 2023, he has worked with the Aussie and will continue to do so in 2026.
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes: Peter Bonnington
Perhaps one of the most well-known race engineers, recently seen on the podium with his protege Kimi Antonelli. Peter Bonnington started at Jordan before moving to Honda. When Honda withdrew, he joined Brawn GP, working as a performance engineer for Button. At Mercedes, he briefly served as race engineer for Michael Schumacher and then spent many years working with Hamilton. Since last year, he has worked with young hotshot Antonelli.
George Russell, Mercedes: Marcus Dudley
Like Bonnington, Marcus Dudley began his F1 career at Honda in 2006. After stints in other racing categories, he returned in 2012 – first with Marussia and since 2013 with Mercedes. At the Silver Arrows, he worked with Nico Rosberg and later became part of Hamilton’s team, occasionally filling in for Bonnington. Since 2023, he has been George Russell’s full-time race engineer.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull: Gianpiero Lambiase
Gianpiero Lambiase studied mechanical engineering before joining Jordan, which later became Midland, Spyker, and Force India. At the Silverstone-based team, he worked with Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez, before moving to Red Bull – where he initially worked with Daniil Kvyat. When Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso in 2016, Lambiase was paired with Max Verstappen – a partnership that has now lasted for 10 years.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull: Richard Wood
Richard Wood is relatively new in his role as race engineer but has worked for Red Bull since 2012. Previously, he spent four years as Perez’s performance engineer and, in 2025, became Liam Lawson’s race engineer. Following Lawson’s departure he worked with Yuki Tsunoda, before taking on a new driver in Isack Hadjar for 2026.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari: Carlos Santi
Carlos Santi worked for years with Kimi Raikkonen and had actually retired as a trackside engineer, but was persuaded last winter to temporarily support Hamilton. Last season, Hamilton worked with Riccardo Adami, but that proved to not be a good match. Ferrari is searching for a permanent replacement.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: Bryan Bozzi
Danish-Italian engineer Bryan Bozzi is only 36 but has worked for Ferrari since 2012. He started as an intern in the aerodynamics department and, after several roles, became Charles Leclerc’s performance engineer in 2019. In May 2024, Bozzi took over as race engineer from Xavi Marcos, and that same month Leclerc won his first home grand prix in Monaco.
Alex Albon, Williams: James Urwin
James Urwin has been Alex Albon’s regular race engineer since the driver joined Williams in 2022. The Briton followed a gradual path to F1 via the European Le Mans Series and the British Touring Car Championship. He has been with Williams since 2014, previously working with Lance Stroll and Russell.
Carlos Sainz, Williams: Gaetan Jego
Frenchman Gaetan Jego studied engineering at ESTACA and worked for Renault, ART Grand Prix (in GP2, DTM, and WEC), and has been with Williams since 2020. He previously served as race engineer for Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant, and Franco Colapinto, and has been working with Sainz since last year.
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls: Alexandre Iliopoulos
Alexandre Iliopoulos has been with Racing Bulls (formerly Toro Rosso) for 10 years, after previously working for tyre manufacturer Michelin. The Greek engineer has held various roles, from trackside engineer to senior performance engineer. This year, he debuts as Lawson’s race engineer.
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls: Pierre Hamelin
Pierre Hamelin worked with fellow Frenchman Hadjar last year, but will work with Briton Arvid Lindblad for his F1 debut in 2026. He began his F1 career at Renault, before becoming one of the Faenza outfit's regular race engineers since 2016. Over the years, he has worked with drivers including Kvyat, Brendon Hartley, Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Ricciardo, and Lawson.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin: Chris Cronin and Andrew Vizard
Andrew Vizard has had a long journey in F1, from McLaren to Manor and Williams, before joining Aston Martin in 2023 and becoming Stroll’s race engineer in 2024. Since last year, he has been Alonso’s race engineer in a shared role with Chris Cronin. Cronin had already worked with the Spaniard and was promoted within Aston Martin last year to senior race engineer for both cars, combining that role with a part-time position as Alonso’s race engineer.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin: Gary Gannon
American engineer Gary Gannon began his career in the CART and ALMS championships in the United States. In 2010, he moved to Europe and F1, working for Virgin and Haas, where he collaborated with Nico Hulkenberg, Mick Schumacher and Romain Grosjean. Last year, he joined Aston Martin to work with Stroll.
Esteban Ocon, Haas: Laura Muller
Laura Muller studied automotive engineering at the Technical University of Munich. She worked in multiple racing categories, including as a data and performance engineer for Racing Team Nederland. In 2022, she joined Haas as a performance engineer before being promoted to Esteban Ocon’s race engineer in 2025. Recently, a corner at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne was named after her.
Oliver Bearman, Haas: Ronan O’Hare
Ronan O’Hare is an engineer from Northern Ireland. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Ulster and worked at Brawn, Mercedes, Toro Rosso, and Williams. In 2022, he joined Haas, becoming Mick Schumacher’s and later Hulkenberg’s performance engineer. Last year, he was promoted to Oliver Bearman’s race engineer.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi: Jose Manuel Lopez
Spanish engineer Jose Manuel Lopez studied for some time at TU Delft and worked for years at McLaren, including as Norris’ performance engineer and even as chief engineer for several grands prix in 2023. In 2024, he took a step back to work with F2 driver and then McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto. In 2025, both moved to Audi – Bortoleto as a full-time driver and Lopez as his race engineer.
Nico Hulkenberg, Audi: Steven Petrik
Steven Petrik is an American who joined Ferrari in 2015 via Oxford University, where he worked as a performance engineer for Vettel and later Sainz. After moving to Sauber, he replaced Valtteri Bottas’ regular engineer. Following the Fin’s departure, Petrik became Hulkenberg’s race engineer in 2025.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine: Josh Peckett
Josh Peckett started in F1 at Manor, where he worked with Will Stevens and Pascal Wehrlein. His path later crossed again with Ocon at Renault in 2020, where he became the Frenchman’s race engineer and guided him to his famous 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix victory. After Ocon’s departure, he briefly worked with rookie Jack Doohan before becoming Gasly’s race engineer in 2025.
Franco Colapinto, Alpine: Stuart Barlow
Stuart Barlow previously worked in WEC and won the Le Mans 24 Hours as a trackside performance engineer with Audi Joest. Since 2019, he has been with Renault, and when the team became Alpine in 2021, he became Ocon’s performance engineer. Last year, he was promoted to race engineer – first for Doohan and then for Colapinto.
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac: John Howard
John Howard worked for nearly 16 years at the Enstone-based team (formerly Lotus and Renault, now Alpine). From 2015, he held a trackside engineering role and worked with drivers including Sainz, Hulkenberg, and later Alonso. In 2025, he left Alpine for Cadillac as Bottas’s race engineer.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac: Carlo Pasetti
Perez also has a new race engineer – but not entirely new. The Mexican knows Carlo Pasetti from their time at Racing Point. The Italian was Perez’s performance engineer in 2020 when he won the Sakhir Grand Prix – his first F1 victory. That success earned Perez a contract with Red Bull, while Pasetti continued in various roles at Racing Point and later Aston Martin.
