In the Formula 1 paddock, it is common to see different characters in addition to the drivers in each race, who appear to act only as supporting actors, but who play a fundamental role throughout the season, either in their teams, in the planning of each event or even because of the proximity of the drivers.
With a view to a new year of the highest category, we present the protagonists who appear on the circuits but are not as recognized as those behind the wheel, although their role is almost as important.
Toto Wolff
He is the director and CEO of Mercedes and one of the main culprits for the German team’s success in the hybrid era, with seven constructors’ championships in a row since 2014 and the same number of drivers (six for Lewis Hamilton). As a racing driver, the Austrian had a quiet career before becoming a shareholder and manager of Williams, then made the leap to the Lone Star to become the architect of triumphs. He also owns shares in Aston Martin and Williams and has represented Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon.
Stefano Domenicali
The new Formula One CEO will replace Chase Carey in the position, but is a familiar face in the series paddock. With a career associated with Ferrari, he held various positions until he became top manager in 2008, when the Scuderia won its last constructors’ championship; After his resignation in April 2014, he worked at Lamborghini, but is now heading the category.
Dietrich Mateschitz
He is one of the founders and owner of the energy drink company Red Bull. The brand has always been associated with sport and in a very special way with motorsport, first as owner of Sauber, then Jaguar, which became Red Bull, and Minardi, which became Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). In addition to titles, he is always looking for new talents on the grid, such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen or Carlos Sainz.
Guenther Steiner
The Haas director gained fame with the Formula 1: Drive to Survive series for his constant pressure on drivers; however, he is the spirit behind the formation of the US top flight team. He started his career in rallying, then he joined Jaguar and when it was acquired by Red Bull he stayed, before being sent to develop the company’s project in the United States, where he met Gene Haas, with whom he started all over again in 2014. the team that will start a new stage this season with changes to the steering wheels.
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Ferrari unveiled the mono square where Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will drive in the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Mattia Binotto
The Ferrari director has regularly been the center of criticism from fans for the decisions made or the lack of good results in recent times. Trained as an engineer, the Italian has worked at the Scuderia since 1995 and was in charge of the engines and technical part before being named as the successor to Maurizio Arrivabene’s main position in 2019. His position always seems to be in danger.
Helmut Marko
Although he is officially the advisor to the Red Bull F1 teams, his position as head of the driver development program has made him the ideologue of the brand and his strength, both on the main team and in AlphaTauri, is at the highest level. . He has no filters when it comes to referencing the organization’s four leaflets and has been important in cutting paths like Daniil Kvyat or Alex Albon’s.
Adrian Newey
The Red Bull technical director is considered one of the best masterminds. In the 1990s he was part of five Williams ‘constructors’ titles and after 1998 at McLaren, he joined the Austrian team in 2006 and was a key player in the 2010-2013 championships; Although the trophies are now won by Mercedes, the chassis designed by Newey remains the most recognized.
Lawrence Walk
He is the owner of Aston Martin F1. A fashion billionaire who became involved with the series when his son Lance became a Williams driver in 2017. Faced with Force India’s 2018 bankruptcy, Lawrence led a group of investors who bought it, renamed it Racing Point, and later hired his son. for one of the cars. For this campaign, the team will change its name again and have Sebastian Vettel in the other car, instead of Sergio Pérez.
James Allison
Mercedes’ recent successes also have a designer and that’s the technical director. After going through the aerodynamic field at Benetton and Ferrari, the Briton had greater responsibilities at Renault and Lotus and returned to the Scuderia. He resigned after his wife’s death, but in 2017 he was hired by the Silver Arrows to replace Paddy Lowe to be a fundamental part of the victories.
Christian Horner
He has been the director of Red Bull since 2005 and who brought it to the fore between 2010 and 2013, with four constructors ‘and drivers’ championships, before the advent of the new rules and Mercedes. In recent years, he has brought the Austrians back into the fight for victories and resolved various crises, such as the running out of Renault engines, the departure of Honda from Formula 1 in 2022 and the search for a suitable partner for Verstappen. The Brit is married to Geri Halliwell, a former member of the Spice Girls.
Angela Cullen
Lewis Hamilton’s perennial companion is New Zealand physiotherapist Angela Cullen, who has been in charge of the British’s physical work since 2016, though on an ordinary weekend he expands his work to be the person closest to the seven-time champion state. She represented her country on the hockey team and went on to coach athletic groups before becoming the Englishman’s right-hand man.
Otmar Szafnauer
He is the director and CEO of Aston Martin F1. The Romanian has been the soul of the organization since arriving in 2009 when it was Force India, with successes in the sporting field, but also as the visible face when financial complications hit the garage in 2018, later becoming Lawrence’s right-hand man. Hike from Racing Point to an Aston Martin this season.
Michael Masi
The F1 race director had the far from easy mission of being the successor to the late Charlie Whiting. He arrived as the future replacement for the legendary manager, but his sudden death left him at the forefront of the 2019 season; Responsible for ensuring the safety of the protagonists, he had a great test with Frenchman Romain Grosjean’s accident in Bahrain last year.
Ross Brawn
The Formula 1 CEO also has a long track record of serial success. He was the perfect partner for Michael Schumacher’s seven titles, first at Benetton, then at Ferrari, then bought the Honda team and renamed it Brawn GP, which won both championships in its only season (2009). He retired in 2014 after working at Mercedes, but returned in the leadership role category in 2017.
Frédéric Vasseur
He is the director of Alfa Romeo, with a long career in motorsport. As part of ART in the GP2 series, he has witnessed the championships of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, then joined as head of Renault on his return to F1 in 2016, before starring in an internal battle that marked his departure. from the garage. He arrived at Sauber in 2017 and continued in the transition to Alfa Romeo.
Franz Tost
He is the director of AlphaTauri, the second in the hierarchy of the Red Bull organization. With a low profile, he came to Formula 1 through Ralf Schumacher, first in Jordan and then in Williams. He was appointed head of the newly created Toro Rosso team in 2006 and will maintain that position, from which he has seen the start of the careers of drivers such as Vettel or Verstappen.
Toyoharu Tanabe
He is the technical director of Honda F1, which supplies engines to the Red Bull fire teams. However, he has a long track record, working as an engineer for Austrian driver Gerhard Berger at McLaren in the 1990s. Although it has risen to collect triumph trophies with Max Verstappen, the Japanese brand is in the top category for the last year.
Zak Brown
The McLaren Racing CEO has been instrumental in Woking’s return to competitiveness. With a long career behind the wheel and in the commercial sector of motorsport, he signed with the brand in 2016 as the head of the technology group and moved to the racing part in 2018; last year the team finished third in the championship, ahead of Ferrari or Renault.
Simon Roberts
The Williams manager is experiencing his first full season as team head. He worked at Force India and McLaren before being appointed manager at Grove in June 2020; just three months later, however, he replaced Claire Williams as team manager, in a difficult transition after the sale of the squad.
Laurent Rossi
In another example of immediate replacements, Rossi became Alpine’s CEO less than two months ago, following the surprise resignation of Cyril Abiteboul. Although he had been with Renault as its head of strategy and business development since 2018, his greatest professional success was with Google, where he spent six years fostering business relationships with customers in the automotive industry.
These are some of the characters that appear in every race, they also give interviews and celebrate or suffer in the paddock, despite not getting in the car and taking it to the checkered flag. They are the ones who work behind the scenes so that the drivers can achieve the maximum performance in every Grand Prix and will be present this new season.