The working relationship between Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari race engineer Xavi Marcos is not, so far, comparable to more established pairs, such as Max Verstappen – Ginapiero Lambiase or Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington. Adequate communication between the driver and the race engineer can make a significant difference in Formula 1, which heavily relies on radio communications. After four years alongside the Monegasque driver, can the performance of the Spaniard be deemed sufficient?
Communication between Xavi Marcos and Charles Leclerc is one of the issues to address for the 2024 Formula One season.
“The relationship between the race engineer and the driver is very important because the more you can say in a few words, and the race technicians immediately understand what you’re talking about, the more time you save, and the more you can dedicate to other things,” said Peter Windsor, former Ferrari team manager. “I believe this is one of the reasons why Ferrari is struggling this year, especially with Leclerc. If I were Charles, I’d be a bit annoyed.” – he pointed out.
“It’s as if they discussed during the winter about having greater uniformity with their strategy and being able to ensure that everyone understands they are on the same wavelength. It is clear that this kind of discussion has taken place, especially since Fred Vasseur arrived.” – Peter Windsor continued.
Over the years, Xavi Marcos has been one of the most criticized figures on the Ferrari pit wall, often for the lack of charisma and clarity, especially in the most hectic phases of the Grand Prix.
After an initial period of adjustment, Frederic Vasseur has already made several changes at the top of the team, such as the demotion of Inaki Rueda in favor of Ravin Jain or the departure of Laurent Mekies in favor of Diego Ioverno. However, Marcos’s position does not seem to be in question, at least for now.
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“Now the situation has changed, and there’s this individual who, without getting personal, says to Charles things like, ‘I want to make sure Charles is happy with what we’re going to do,’ which, again, is a bit exaggerated. You don’t ask a driver to help you make a decision in the middle of a race,” adds the British journalist. “All he wants is to know that the decision has been made for this reason and move on. I’m sure Charles’s engineer is a very good guy and is trying to do his job well, but it seems they are throwing tantrums instead of moving forward.” – the former Ferrari team manager concluded.
Especially in the past season and the current one, Charles Leclerc’s radio messages expressing frustration with the Spaniard have become iconic. This aspect will also need to be thoroughly discussed in preparation for the next season to avoid making trivial mistakes when the car returns to compete for victories.
Source: f1ingenerale
