PLAYING PSYCHOLOGIST AT 300KM/H

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 Jr and Daniel Ricciardo. This year, F1 returnee Fernando Alonso will be added to that list.

Loos sums up his job as “trying to get the most out of the car-driver combination”.