The art of compromise an F1 race engineer has to master

The job of a Formula 1 race engineer requires in equal parts engineering skill and acute sensitivity – not an easy combination when the pressure is on, as Fernando Alonso's Alpine F1 engineer explains.

Updated Mar 19, 2021, 1:25 PM

Ever since team radio messages became part of the Formula 1 broadcast, the often-colourful interaction between driver and race engineer has been a popular staple of grand prix coverage. But just like most team communication, the finer nuances of the race engineer role stay out of the public spotlight. The unique blend of engineering, infused with a human touch, makes the role one of the most challenging and rewarding in motorsport – as Alpine race engineer Karel Loos knows well.

Belgian-born Loos, who joined the Enstone team in 2011 in its Lotus guise, worked his way up from performance to race engineer and worked closely with Kevin Magnussen, Jolyon Palmer, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo. This year, F1 returnee Fernando Alonso will be added to that list.

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Author Filip Cleeren

After concluding his journalism studies in 2011 Filip decided to take the hard way and become a freelance motorsports writer, which took him on a nomadic 50-country journey from Indianapolis to Le Mans and from Melbourne's Albert Park to the Dakar in Argentina. Filip first started contributing to Motorsport.com in the summer of 2015, helping to establish the Dutch language edition and regularly contributing to the global edition. Born and raised in Belgium and now settled in Barcelona, Spain, Filip actively covers the FIA WEC, F1 and other major series around the world in addition to his news editing duties, having transitioned fully to the global edition in February 2021.