Charles Leclerc and race engineer Xavi Marcos go their separate ways: Bryan Bozzi takes over from Imola – what influence does Hamilton have on the long-term solution?
It wasn’t the perfect start to the season for Charles Leclerc: Although Ferrari gave him a new contract and team-mate Carlos Sainz has to leave the team, the Monegasque mostly finished behind the Spaniard in the first races of 2024.
Lately, however, Leclerc’s form has stabilized and he finished on the podium in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Miami.
Nevertheless, the Scuderia is now making a change to Leclerc’s racing team: Xavi Marcos, who has been the Monegasque’s race engineer since Leclerc’s move from Sauber to Ferrari, is being removed from that role. As Ferrari announced before the home race in Imola, Marcos will be devoting himself to “other important programs in the company” in future.
A nice way of putting it, but it cannot hide the fact that there have always been disagreements between Leclerc and his race engineer – especially with regard to Ferrari’s often controversial strategy decisions in the past.
Most recently at the Chinese Grand Prix, there were once again misunderstandings and displeasure on the radio after Marcos Leclerc suggested a different line choice in turns seven and eight in the final phase of the race, to which the Ferrari star reacted with incomprehension and annoyance.
The Scuderia has now promoted Bryan Bozzi to the position on the Leclerc microphone, and he will take over the vacant position from the upcoming race in Imola: Leclerc’s previous performance engineer has been with Ferrari for over ten years and is now able to try out a new role for the first time.
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Maranello for the 2025 season is also eagerly awaited, as the Briton could bring his long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington with him from Mercedes.
Riccardo Adami, who initially looked after Sebastian Vettel at the Reds and is now responsible for Sainz, would then have to leave his post – or switch to Leclerc permanently if things don’t work out much better with newcomer Bozzi than with the dismissed Marcos …
