Xavi Marcos leaves Ferrari and F1 to become technical director of Cadillac's Endurance program

Xavi Marcos leaves Ferrari and F1 to become technical director of Cadillac’s Endurance program. Charles Leclerc's former race engineer at Ferrari, Xavier Marcos, joins Cadillac's Endurance program.

Xavier Marcos Padros is changing categories. After a long period in Formula 1, where he served as Charles Leclerc’s race engineer at Ferrari from 2019 until the Miami Grand Prix in 2024, the Spanish engineer will take on a new role with greater responsibilities.

Xavier Marcos has been hired by Cadillac as the technical director of the LMDh sports car project, overseeing both the WEC and IMSA championships. He will be responsible for all technical aspects, focusing on engineering, performance, and vehicle development.

This role marks a new challenge in Xavier Marcos Padros’s career and an exciting opportunity to compete in a different championship with a team that has significant ambitions. Before joining GM, Xavi Marcos worked in Formula 1, starting with HRT as a performance engineer from 2010 to 2012, followed by a similar role at Williams.

After a brief stint in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2015 to 2017 as a lead engineer for Richard Childress Racing, Xavi Marcos returned to Formula 1 in 2019 and served as Charles Leclerc’s race engineer in every race until the Miami Grand Prix in 2024. At that point, Ferrari reassigned him to other company projects as part of an internal restructuring.

For 2025, Cadillac has expanded its IMSA program to three cars, while in the WEC, there will be two HyperCars in collaboration with Jota. To further support its IMSA and WEC programs, GM Motorsports has introduced a new management structure for Cadillac. Xavi Marcos’s appointment as technical director will complement the new LMDh program leader, Keely Bosn, who took on the role on January 1 after being announced last October.

Alongside Xavi Marcos, another key promotion is that of Sean O’Shea, now responsible for the development of the 5.5-liter V8 engine paired with the hybrid system that powers the HyperCar. Previously, O’Shea worked at Bosch Motorsport, where he specialized in hybrid propulsion systems. He joined GM in 2015 and contributed to high-profile projects, including advanced military applications and innovative propulsion systems, before his promotion at Cadillac.

It’s also worth noting that Cadillac has appointed Russ O’Blenes, former GM head of engines for Cadillac and Corvette, to lead GM Performance Power Units LLC, the company responsible for producing the brand’s future Formula 1 power units, expected to debut by the end of the decade.