Who are they and what do they do?

The System 1 staff principal position has constantly advanced over time, the place the variations between now and again within the championship’s early years are staggering.

A staff boss was as soon as the one that based the constructor, suppose Bruce McLaren or Frank Williams, and held the position for many years.

However now, the method to the position is extra like that of soccer which has managers continually coming and going.

A development has additionally emerged within the latest staff principal modifications, with squads usually going for any individual who has an engineering background – whereas a information of how groups are run can be fascinating. 

So, who’re the present 10 staff principals and the way lengthy have they been of their job?

What’s a staff principal in F1?

A staff principal is the boss of an F1 staff, who’s accountable for the day-to-day operating with the buck often stopping at them so far as efficiency is anxious.

In F1’s early years, the staff boss position was a lot broader as not solely had been they maybe the proprietor/founder, but additionally the one that designed the automotive (Colin Chapman with Lotus) or one of many drivers (Jack Brabham at Brabham). 

These days, staff principals don’t get their arms soiled, a lot much less drive. They’re usually employed staff. They might maintain shares, however that’s it so far as it goes when it comes to possession.

The truth that fashionable staff principals are employed displays the fact that F1 groups now not function in isolation. In some circumstances, they’re a part of a wider organisation with which they share expertise, individuals, premises and historical past – Ferrari being the basic instance right here.

Red Bull, however, is an instance of a staff owned by an entity from a wholly completely different world. Between these two extremes, there’s a variety of ‘governance’ set-ups. But it surely suffices to say that F1 staff principals all have bosses. Bosses who need a return when it comes to outcomes.

What does an F1 staff principal do?

The one factor each F1 staff principal does is function the general public face of the staff. They offer countless press interviews during which they communicate on the staff’s behalf, each away from the monitor and through race weekends.

Additionally they symbolize the staff’s curiosity within the political and sporting sense, for instance in conferences with the governing physique, race stewards and different groups. Although they’ll usually have specialists at their aspect relying on the event, that is the place diplomatic and enterprise expertise turn out to be useful.

One other important position is that of individuals administration – shaping a (hopefully) profitable surroundings and construction. Positive, you might be an engineer at your core, however a staff principal can’t be the kind of one that will cover in the back of the storage and pore over numbers. As is the case for the top of any organisation, they’ll want to have the ability to step again, see the larger image and make selections accordingly.

A kind of selections – and possibly crucial – is what they need to slightly delegate than attempt to do themselves. An F1 staff is made up of extremely specialised individuals corresponding to race engineers, strategists and mechanics. Almost all of them know extra about their specialist space than the boss does. So it’s key for the staff principal to make sure the proper individuals are employed, given the proper construction to work in, after which trusted.

That stated, some staff principals are extra hands-on than others. That is the place kinds will differ in keeping with their administration philosophy and ability units. Some might choose to take a supervisory position in all issues. However for others, if there are areas the place they will provide particular experience, then they could do precisely that!

Toto Wolff, Group Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG

Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Mercedes – Toto Wolff

• Group: Mercedes
• Time within the position: Since 2013

Toto Wolff isn’t solely staff principal of the Mercedes F1 Group but additionally a part-owner holding a 33% stake within the firm. He’s answerable for all Mercedes-Benz motorsport actions, a lot within the method of his German predecessor Norbert Haug.

Wolff was a useful racer, however switched his focus to sportscar racing after a stint in System Ford in Austria and Germany within the early 90s. He gathered a couple of successes with out setting the world alight, and his motorsport legacy will undoubtedly be his newer work off the monitor. He was a director with Williams earlier than switching to Mercedes, the place he and his countryman Niki Lauda – who handed away in 2019 – grew to become synonymous with the successes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and extra.

Wolff is married to Scottish former race driver Susie (beforehand Stoddart), who’s presently managing director for the all-female F1 Academy.

Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Purple Bull Racing Group Principal

Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

Purple Bull – Christian Horner

• Group: Purple Bull Racing
• Time within the position: Since 2005

Like Wolff, Christian Horner is a former driver. He went quite a bit additional when it comes to single-seater racing, nevertheless, reaching the lofty heights of System 3000 within the late Nineteen Nineties. At that time, he based the Arden staff, which makes Horner one of many final owner-drivers to have competed at a excessive degree in single-seaters. By the tip of 1998, nevertheless, he had determined that his power lay behind the pitwall slightly than behind the wheel.

Seven years after quitting driving on the age of 25, Horner graduated from F3000, during which Arden had by then amassed a number of titles. Purple Bull, who purchased the Jaguar F1 squad, appointed Horner boss of its eponymous operation for its debut in 2005. It proved an ideal match, with the Briton overseeing the staff’s gradual rise to frontrunner standing, after which a glut of titles for Sebastian Vettel and later Max Verstappen. Unmoved from his pitwall perch to today, Horner can be well-known for his ‘stressed leg’ throughout tense races – and being married to Spice Woman Geri Halliwell-Horner.

Frederic Vasseur, Group Principal and Basic Supervisor, Scuderia Ferrari

Picture by: Ferrari

Ferrari – Fred Vasseur

• Group: Ferrari
• Time within the position: Since 2023

Fred Vasseur got here by way of the ranks as a staff boss in a lot the identical means a driver would. After learning engineering and aeronautics, the Frenchman based his personal staff in 1996. Working initially beneath the ASM banner, and later as ART, it gathered trophies for enjoyable within the junior formulae. Amongst different successes, Vasseur oversaw Lewis Hamilton’s System 3 Euroseries and GP2 titles within the mid-2000s.

With a CV like that, it was maybe inevitable that F1 groups would come calling. Positive sufficient, Vasseur joined Renault as staff principal in 2016. However regardless of the French connection, the connection solely lasted a 12 months. When Vasseur subsequent surfaced in mid-2017, it was on the German-speaking aspect of Switzerland, the place he took up an identical place with the Sauber staff, which took on the Alfa Romeo title throughout his time there.

The Italian hyperlink was a touch of issues to come back: within the nice staff principals’ shuffle of late 2022, Vasseur was announced as replacement for Mattia Binotto at Ferrari. In Vasseur’s first 12 months Carlos Sainz received the Singapore Grand Prix earlier than the Scuderia sealed third within the championship.

Oliver Oakes, Group Principal Alpine F1 Group

Picture by: Alpine

Alpine – Oliver Oakes

• Group: Alpine
• Time within the position: Since 2024

The Alpine administration construction has undergone constant change. In July 2023, Laurent Rossi (CEO), Otmar Szafnauer (staff principal) and Alan Permane (sporting director) all left their respective roles leading to Bruno Famin taking the job of interim staff boss.

Famin, who comes from an engineering background, was then confirmed as Alpine’s everlasting staff principal in February 2024 solely to depart 5 months later to return to Renault’s – Alpine’s mother or father firm – Viry-Chatillon base.

His alternative was Oliver Oakes, who on the age of 36 grew to become F1’s second youngest ever staff principal after Christian Horner took over Purple Bull when he was 31-years-old. However, the Briton nonetheless arrived at Alpine with a wealth of expertise in motorsport having been staff boss of F2 and F3’s Hitech GP since 2015, profitable varied races and mounting quite a few title challenges on the helm. 

Andrea Stella, Group Principal, McLaren

Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

McLaren – Andrea Stella

• Group: McLaren
• Time within the position: Since 2023

With Andreas Seidl having moved to join his old chums at Sauber following a four-season stint as McLaren staff principal, Andrea Stella stepped into the German’s sneakers on the British outfit for January 2023.

This represented an inner rent: Stella was promoted from his position as government director for racing. And there is much more to it than the comfort of not having to alter the initials on the staff principal’s headset: the Italian got here with an unlimited quantity of hands-on engineering expertise. He labored with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso at Ferrari earlier than following the latter to McLaren in 2015. In his first season at McLaren, the staff completed fourth within the championship scoring a powerful 9 podiums and a dash race victory. 

Stella then performed an important position in McLaren’s first constructors’ title for 26 years, because it pipped Ferrari to the 2024 crown.

Laurent Mekies, Group Principal, RB F1 Group

Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

Racing Bulls – Laurent Mekies

• Group: Racing Bulls
• Time within the position: Since 2024

Laurent Mekies changed the long-serving Franz Tost as Racing Bull’s staff principal for the 2024 F1 season – when it was branded as RB. It was an enormous change at Purple Bull’s sister squad as Tost started the position in 2005 – then referred to as Toro Rosso – however introduced in April 2023 that he can be leaving the place on the finish of the 12 months.  

That month Mekies was introduced as Tost’s alternative, with the Frenchman returning to the Faenza-based squad having left his position as chief engineer in 2014 after becoming a member of the set-up in 2002. He left to change into the FIA’s security director and by 2017 he had been appointed as race director earlier than transferring to Ferrari in September 2018 as sporting director. Mekies grew to become a pivotal determine at Ferrari as he was later appointed as deputy staff principal and racing director in 2021 forward of his return to RB for 2024.  

Ayao Komatsu – Director of Engineering

Haas – Ayao Komatsu

• Group: Haas
• Time within the position: Since 2024

Ayao Komatsu changed Gunther Steiner as Haas staff principal for the 2024 F1 season after the American outfit completed backside of the 2023 championship. It value Steiner his job, a task he began in 2016 for Haas’ debut season, with Komatsu changing into the primary Japanese staff principal of a European-based staff.

Extra: Guenther Steiner interview – How to become an F1 team principal

Komatsu started his motorsport profession in 2003 as a tyre engineer for British American Racing, earlier than transferring to Renault three years later as a efficiency engineer. He was later appointed as Vitaly Petrov’s race engineer for the 2011 season forward of partnering with Romain Grosjean the next 12 months. Komatsu subsequently grew to become chief race engineer at Lotus in 2015 however joined Haas with Grosjean a 12 months later, the place he grew to become trackside engineering director. He held that position for eight seasons earlier than changing into Haas’ staff boss.

Andy Cowell, Group Chief Government Officer, Aston Martin staff member within the storage

Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos

Aston Martin – Andy Cowell

• Group: Aston Martin
• Time within the position: Since 2025

Andy Cowell changed Mike Krack as Aston Martin’s staff principal for the 2025 season. The swap got here after Cowell first joined the organisation in July 2024 to replace Martin Whitmarsh as group CEO after working for Mercedes’ Excessive Efficiency Powertrains division between 2013 and 2020.

On account of the change, Krack is now the chief trackside officer for the Silverstone-based squad after slightly below three years in his earlier place. Cowell has huge expertise in motorsport and in addition to enjoying an important position within the championship wins for Mercedes, the Briton has additionally served as an engineer for BMW and Cosworth.

James Vowles, Williams

Picture by: Williams F1

Williams – James Vowles

· Group: Williams
· Time within the position: Since 2023

James Vowles made his title in F1 as a pitwall strategist – he served as Mercedes’ motorsport technique director within the 4 years main as much as his transfer to Williams. However that was simply the fruits of over 20 years on the staff primarily based in Brackley – Vowles was additionally a British American Racing, Honda and Brawn man earlier than the 2010 rebranding to the three-pointed star. He labored carefully with Wolff within the management staff throughout a few of Merc’s most dominant occasions.

However with Wolff firmly on the high of the Mercedes tree, the Briton must swap groups if he wished to be accountable for one. So when a possibility arose at Williams – one of many Silver Arrows’ technical companions – following Jost Capito’s departure on the again finish of 2022, Vowles took it. He turned 44 in 2023, making him one of many paddock’s youthful staff principals whereas Vowles lifted Williams from backside to seventh within the championship in simply his first season as boss.

Two factors on the Vowles CV are uncommon for F1 high brass. First, he holds a selected motorsport diploma from Cranfield College. And second, you possibly can name him an lively racing driver following his appearances within the Asian Le Mans Sequence throughout 2022!

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Alfa Romeo F1 Group Managing Director and Group Consultant

Picture by: Alfa Romeo

Sauber – Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Xevi Pujolar, Beat Zehnder

· Group: Sauber
· Time within the position: Since 2023

As any motorsport rule-maker will inform you, it’s by no means very lengthy earlier than groups will discover some new technique to come at an issue. So it’s no shock that even the venerable position of staff principal got here in for a spot of innovation heading into 2023 when Sauber (then referred to as Alfa Romeo) determined to enter the marketing campaign with a ‘administration construction’ as a substitute of a conventional particular person boss.

How does it truly break down? Former Trident GP2 staff principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi is ‘staff consultant’ and performs the diplomatic features of a staff principal with the F1’s bosses, sponsors and media. The Italian, who has additionally labored as a driver supervisor (with Robert Kubica amongst others), has been a part of the Sauber operation as a board member since 2017.

Different components of the job are carried out by skilled Spanish head of monitor engineering Xevi Pujolar and the staff’s stalwart, home-grown sporting director Beat Zehnder.