In motor racing, it generally take a team of people to get the car ready for the track, but there can only be one person at the wheel. The Engineer caught up with some top level former and current drivers to find out about the importance of race engineers and how they can influence what happens when the lights go green. 

Meet the drivers

Mark Blundell – Former British racing driver with around 150 starts across F1, IndyCar and LeMans 

Abbi Pulling – Reigning F1 Academy Champion, Brand Ambassador and driver for Rodin Motorsport in the 2025 GB3 Championship

David Brabham – Australian racing driver with experience across F1 and winner of the 2009  Le Mans 24 Hours


Left to right: Mark Blundell, Abi Pulling, David Brabham

How important is it for race drivers to understand the engineering of the car they’re in? 

MB: It’s important, but it’s not the be all and end all. You tend to get two types of drivers – one is an engineering driver that understands the dynamics and is good at pinpointing what they want and communicating those changes to their engineer. On the other hand, you have a driver that is more focused on the task of driving – which is more attuned with my style of driving back in the day. I was fully focused on the car, what it was doing lap-by-lap, corner-by-corner, and relaying that back in detail to my race engineer, who in turn supported me whole-heartedly with the setup refinement. All drivers at that level understand the dynamics and fundamentals, but it’s not necessary to understand all the fine engineering details.

AP: It’s very important to have an understanding of the car and knowledge of the effects engineering changes can have, such as adjustments to the roll bar, springs or camber, so you can think on the fly and make valuable contributions and input to engineering decisions. If you can remember having a similar feeling in the car before and how you rectified it, you can apply that change in the future. You might have a bit of oversteer on corner entry, which can be remedied in multiple ways. Knowing what worked best for you last time lets you make improvements and get there quicker. In the end, you’re the one driving the car – the engineer can only go off your feedback.


Abi Pulling Abbi Jo Pulling is a British racing driver who is currently competing in the 2025 GB3 Championship for Rodin Motorsport – F1 Academy

DB: The importance of a driver understanding the engineering side of the car largely depends on how quick they are.

If a driver is exceptionally fast, in the mould of someone like Max Verstappen, then their raw pace often speaks for itself. Teams will typically prioritise extracting that speed rather than relying heavily on the driver’s technical input. The data alone gives engineers enough to work with, but good feedback is still essential to getting the most from the package.

The data alone gives engineers enough to work with, but good feedback is still essential to getting the most from the package

For most other drivers, however, a strong grasp of engineering becomes a genuine competitive advantage. In a tightly contested field, the ability to provide clear, relevant and technically informed feedback helps the team develop the car more effectively, builds strong relationships with the engineers, and allows the driver to get the most from the car set-up.

It also shows a professional, committed approach — the kind of attitude team bosses look for when deciding who to invest in. 


David Brabham driving the Brabham BT24, one of three cars used by the Brabham racing team during their championship-winning 1967 season – Chris Schotanus via Newspress

What does a good race engineer bring to the table? 

DB: A good race engineer is pivotal to a driver’s success. They combine technical expertise with strong communication, translating driver feedback into effective car changes. They build trust, can manage pressure calmly, and act as the driver’s closest ally in the garage. A top engineer understands vehicle dynamics, race strategy, and the nuances of the driver’s style, helping unlock performance through data and dialogue. They also get inside the driver’s head, giving them the confidence to go out and perform at the highest level for that moment.

MB: An exceptional race engineer is somebody that you can forge a great relationship with – someone that understands you, even from the tone of your voice. You need to get emotionally engaged and truly understand each other – not just explaining what the car is doing, but where you’re at in your head and the level of confidence you have in the car, which is key. Ideally, they need to be somebody that can communicate well – slow you down, speed you up and pull you back into shape. That communication and teamwork is just as important as creating a good set up. As a result, the pairing of driver and engineer can be a long-standing relationship, as they grow to understand the nuances of each other and get the best out of each other – on track and off track.

The pairing of driver and engineer can be a long-standing relationship, as they grow to understand the nuances of each other and get the best out of each other

AP: For me, and being in the early stages of my career, a good race engineer often brings lots of experience. We’re all human and learn from our mistakes. Someone with more time at the track will have gathered lots of learnings and experience – what works and what doesn’t. This extends to communication too. The relationship you have between driver and engineer is really important; they are built over many years to find the best approach.

Can you give us an example of a time when an engineering team helped solve a specific problem at the track? 

AP: Problem solving is a key part of an engineer’s role; there are so many situations where they help solve and rectify issues. One of the most critical situations where an engineer’s problem-solving abilities are vital are the middle of qualifying. Not only do they have to use all their experience and knowledge, but it’s a really high-pressure situation as well. That’s not something you can learn quickly; you have to practice responding to high-pressure situations.

Last season, there were a number of times in qualifying – specifically in Barcelona and Singapore for F1 Academy and at Thruxton in British F4 – where the car wasn’t behaving or reacting in the way I was expecting it to. Whether that was the balance or how the tyres came in, ultimately it affected the lap time and being able to reach full potential. In Barcelona, we had oversteer in free practice so we corrected it by adjusting the roll bars. But in qualifying it became significant understeer, so on the fly we had to come in and make changes to improve that.

MB: When I was at Nissan competing in the World Sportscar Championship, Lola brought out the R89C. We had a huge problem with it ‘porpoising’ due to fluctuations in downforce. We couldn’t get our heads around it at first. Together, Eric Broadley and several of the engineers, we worked step-by-step to resolve the issues – cutting holes in the bodywork around the wing areas to release air from the wheel arches, as well as changing some of the splitter dimensions. There were also updates to the shock absorbers and tyre compound construction and pressures. For a brand new car, it was a lot to undertake, but it was done efficiently and effectively with a great group of engineers.


Mark Blundell in the MG Lola EX257 at Le Mans in June 2002

Is it important for driver and engineer to always be on the same page, or can conflict be productive?

DB: A good driver engineer combination becomes one mind; they will be on the same page most of the time. For sure, differences of opinion will come into play, but this is healthy too. This situation takes time as trust needs to be built and this comes from decisions being made that consistently show positive results. You will have two people who just don’t gel and there needs to be changes – normally it’s the trust that breaks down.

AP: This comes back to the racing driver understanding the engineering of the car – you can’t ask the right questions or share insightful options if you don’t understand how something works. From my experience, driver input is always considered and taken on board when deciding on the engineering approach. I think different opinions can make a big and positive difference, perhaps picking up on something that could have been missed. But being on the same page and knowing how each other works is also important – there’s a way of communicating what you want and how to achieve that on the car so it doesn’t become conflict.

Driver input is always considered and taken on board when deciding on the engineering approach

MB: It helps if everyone is thinking the same way – if the driver doesn’t have confidence in what the engineer is suggesting, then that immediately impacts on lap times. It really is beneficial that everyone is on the same page. But as we know, sometimes we can go down a rabbit hole. Being brought back to basics, having someone to challenge us and change our outlook can have a positive impact. It’s always a balance, but overall, when that combination and relationship is strong, it can be incredibly constructive and productive.

This article originally appeared in F1@75 a special limited edition of The Engineer focussed on the sport’s long history of engineering innovation that is available to buy here