Feature
Formula 1
Opinion
Why F1 shouldn’t be hiding its most interesting characters
The ingrained habit of gatekeeping and restricting access is completely counter to the contemporary drive for ‘storytelling’
Oleg Karpov
Published: Aug 11, 2026, 4:09 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Have you ever wondered who Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer is? What does the man Hamilton described as his “Italian Bono” – because their relationship reminds him of the one he had with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes – think about that comparison? How does he feel about returning to the race team for the first time since serving as Kimi Raikkonen’s engineer back in 2018? Does he enjoy suddenly finding himself in the spotlight as one of the key members of Formula 1’s most successful driver-team partnership?
These are exactly the kinds of stories modern F1 should be telling.
You could have found the answers by reading one of his interviews or listening to a podcast he’d appeared on – had he done any. But, of course, he hasn’t. Because he works in F1, one of the most closed and tightly controlled environments in professional sport.
So the only things you really know are that his name is Carlo Santi, he’s Italian, and he has worked for Ferrari for years. Beyond that, there’s remarkably little. His Wikipedia page doesn’t tell you much more than that.
You might wonder why nobody has ever tried to interview him. The reality is that most journalists probably don’t even ask anymore. Spend enough years covering F1 and you quickly learn which interview requests are worth making – and which are destined to disappear into a team’s PR inbox forever. Sitting down with the race engineer of a leading driver falls firmly into the second category.
Gianpiero Lambiase has given perhaps a handful of interviews during his time as Max Verstappen’s race engineer – and even those came when Red Bull felt particularly generous towards media outlets close to Verstappen’s camp. If someone as recognisable as GP is effectively unavailable, what chance does anyone else have?
F1 teams like to shield anyone outside what they regard as their official spokespersons. There is, of course, some logic behind that. Not everybody enjoys public attention. Some people find it stressful. Others simply aren’t comfortable speaking publicly. And teams don’t want key personnel distracted by media attention or worrying about headlines generated from something they said a week earlier.
But surely someone like Lambiase, who has spent years working alongside one of the most demanding and uncompromising athletes in world sport, knows how to deal with pressure.
The perspective of Lambiase (centre), and similar prominent figures in key roles, needs to be heard more widely
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
F1’s instinct to protect and gatekeep almost everything can be difficult to understand at times, particularly when the championship is trying so hard to conquer the American market. There may still be something to learn from the way US racing series approach exactly the same issue.
Read Also:
Watch the Indianapolis 500 broadcast and it may hurt a European fan’s eyes. It’s not just the crew chiefs who get interviewed; drivers’ wives and girlfriends regularly appear on screen too. Talking! Somehow the world keeps turning despite reporters climbing onto the pitwall for a quick chat with team members.
In F1, simply attempting to speak to an engineer in the paddock without prior approval is likely to earn you a stern conversation with the team’s PR department.
In more than a decade covering F1, some of the most fascinating interviews I’ve conducted have been with the sport’s smartest people – and, sorry guys, they usually aren’t the drivers. Yet more often than not, those interview requests are rejected for some vague PR reason.
In more than a decade covering F1, some of the most fascinating interviews I’ve conducted have been with the sport’s smartest people – and, sorry guys, they usually aren’t the drivers
F1 is one of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet. Yet when it comes to people allowed to tell its stories, the pool has effectively shrunk to the 22 drivers and a handful of team principals expected to generate media coverage throughout an entire season.
The irony is that F1 constantly talks about storytelling. It invests millions into content, documentaries and social media in an effort to attract new audiences. Yet some of the sport’s most interesting personalities remain almost invisible simply because teams prefer them that way.
Santi is one example. Lambiase is another. And when was the last time you read a long interview with Bonnington?
F1 doesn’t have a shortage of great characters. It has a habit of hiding them.
This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the Summer 2026 issue and subscribe today.
IndyCar, and in particular the Indy 500, has lessons for F1 as it aims to expand in the US market
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
Take our survey
- The Autosport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Author Oleg Karpov
After briefly attempting to study engineering, Oleg was expelled from his Moscow university for spending more time at the racetrack as a junior press officer for the national Lada racing series than in lectures. He began his journalism career at Soviet Sport newspaper, and in 2011 moved to Berlin to work as a freelance Formula 1 reporter. He joined Motorsport.com in 2015 and became a contributor to GP Racing magazine in 2021. In 2024, he moved into a position as Motorsport Network’s International Editor before stepping into the role of Head of Global Editorial Operations. When it’s not race week, he plays squash on Wednesdays and Sundays and enjoys procrastinating with chess, reaching a peak online Elo of 2099.
Follow him on X: @OlegKarpov
Read more
Previous article Why McLaren has struggled to get the most of Mercedes’ F1 engine
Next article FIA admits F1's ADUO system has "weaknesses" – but defends its measurements
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from Oleg Karpov
Red Bull defends decision to force Verstappen to give back two positions
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Spanish GP
1 mo
Red Bull defends decision to force Verstappen to give back two positions
Why Mercedes didn't pit Russell under virtual safety car in Italian GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Italian GP
1 mo
Why Mercedes didn't pit Russell under virtual safety car in Italian GP
How Piastri's Q3 mistake denied Norris "half a second" in Italian GP qualifying
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Italian GP
1 mo
How Piastri's Q3 mistake denied Norris "half a second" in Italian GP qualifying
Piastri hit with three-place Italian GP grid penalty for impeding Lawson
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Italian GP
1 mo
Piastri hit with three-place Italian GP grid penalty for impeding Lawson
Why Hamilton shouldn't regret his Ferrari radio rant - but why he was right to apologise
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Dutch GP
1 mo
Why Hamilton shouldn't regret his Ferrari radio rant - but why he was right to apologise
Grading the class of F1 2026 so far
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 mo
Grading the class of F1 2026 so far
Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Hungarian GP
2 mo
Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri
Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Hungarian GP
2 mo
Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades
Latest news
When Cadillac will open its F1 engine factory
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
When Cadillac will open its F1 engine factory
Mission control: Inside the FIA and F1's latest answer to football's VAR
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Mission control: Inside the FIA and F1's latest answer to football's VAR
Marquez accepts that current MotoGP contract could be his last
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
Marquez accepts that current MotoGP contract could be his last
Slater set for F1 practice debut with Audi in Mexico
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
2 h
Slater set for F1 practice debut with Audi in Mexico
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe