Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc insists communication with former Ferrari race engineer Xavier Marcos Padros was not an issue after the decision to move him to a different role.
Xavier Marcos, also known as ‘Xavi’, and Bryan Bozz have been working together as a duo since Leclerc’s Ferrari debut in 2019. However, this partnership has now come to an end as Xavi has transitioned to a different department within Ferrari, while Bryan Bozz will now serve as Leclerc’s race engineer.
Charles Leclerc plays down impact of race engineer change
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
The upcoming race in Imola will serve as the initial test for the partnership between Leclerc and Bozz. However, given that this change is happening during the season and Ferrari is introducing a significantly upgraded SF-24 to compete against Red Bull and McLaren, Leclerc was questioned by various media outlets, including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher, about the level of risk associated with this switch.
However, Leclerc dismissed that mindset by highlighting that he is not starting from scratch with Bozz and anticipates them performing at their best right from the start at Imola.
Leclerc started by acknowledging that the competition is clearly intense at the front, with every detail playing a significant role. However, the final verdict was reached collectively by the team and Xavi.
“I suppose they had different plans in mind, and they made it known to me immediately after Miami.”
However, Bryan, who will now assume the position of Xavi, is someone I have collaborated with since my arrival at Ferrari. He has always been my performance engineer, meaning he is fully familiar with the intricacies of the job. Hence, I won’t be starting from scratch and the transition will be relatively seamless.
“Up until this point, everything has been incredibly smooth, and I am confident that this trend will persist. By this weekend, I am certain that we will be operating at full capacity.”
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Xavi gained fame for his unconventional radio messages while serving as Leclerc’s race engineer. However, in the recent Chinese Grand Prix, Leclerc struggled to comprehend his instruction to “try original line Turns 7 and 8 for comparison.”
When questioned about whether enhancing communication was a motive for the race engineer swap, Leclerc refuted the notion that communication had been an issue with Xavi.
Leclerc stated, “Since our collaboration with Xavi, I believe communication has remained a significant aspect. However, we consistently strive to maximize our communication efforts, as it is crucial for me to attain a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation.”
Yeah, like I mentioned before, our main priority is ensuring a seamless transition. After that, we can concentrate on our priorities. However, I don’t believe it was a significant issue in the past.
Ferrari enters the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola holding the second position in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing Red Bull by a gap of 52 points.
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