Leclerc: Ferrari F1 race engineer change won’t be a problem

Charles Leclerc has denied that Ferrari’s decision to switch his Formula 1 race engineer from this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards could be a problem.

Ferrari announced last week that Xavi Marcos, who had been the voice in Leclerc’s ear since he arrived at Ferrari in 2019, was moving roles within the Italian company.

Such upheaval can create issues, as seen in Miami when a miscommunication with his new Sauber engineer saw Valtteri Bottas penalised for impeding Oscar Piastri.

But with Marcos’ replacement Bryan Bozzi having been Leclerc’s long-serving Performance Engineer, the Monegasque has cooled suggestions there could be concerns.

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Asked how much of a risk it represented when the battle at the front is so tight, Leclerc replied: Obviously, it’s very tight in the front and everything makes a difference.

“However, the decision was made between the team and Xavi. They’ve had other plans in mind, I guess. It was communicated to me right after Miami.

“Having said that, Bryan, that will take the role of Xavi from now onwards, is a person I have been working with since I arrived in Ferrari.

“He’s always been my Performance Engineer, so he knows exactly how everything works. It’s not like I’m starting from zero and that it’s going to be a complete adaptation.

“It’s been super smooth until now and I’m sure that it will continue that way. That will be at our 100% already from this weekend. That’s all I can say.”

Leclerc has been open about how Frederic Vasseur’s appointment as team principal in late 2022 improved the communication between him and his race engineer.

Pressed on whether this change would enhance that further, Leclerc added: “I think communication has always been a big thing since we worked with Xavi.

“We always try and communicate as much as possible. This is the way I work to try and have the best picture overall.

“As I said, I think we’ll focus on having the smoothest transition possible and then we’ll focus on the things that matter to us. I don’t think it was a particular problem in the past.”