In the first part of an exclusive interview with Pit Debrief, Xavier Marcos Padros, current technical director of Cadillac’s LMDh sportscar program, discussed his time as F1 race engineer for Charles Leclerc at Scuderia Ferrari.
After an impressive 2018 season with Sauber, Leclerc joined Scuderia Ferrari in 2019, partnering with four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel. Marcos Padros, who had worked in a factory-based role after joining the Maranello-based team in 2018, was appointed his race engineer.
Leclerc was “up to speed” by Ferrari debut in Australia
Although Leclerc’s transition from Sauber to Ferrari was “a big step up”, especially with Vettel in the neighbouring garage, the Monégasque driver showed his potential early. After impressing during the tests, he showed that he was “up to speed” in the opening round in Melbourne. He finished the race fifth, just over one second behind the more experienced Vettel.
“At the test, he was stepping up. Because again, from Sauber to Ferrari, it’s a big step up and working at that time next to Sebastian, a world champion, a big team, more people involved so we all had to adjust together, which was nice and building a team together with Charles.
“And then, yeah, in Australia, you could see already by the race, he was up to speed in a really high level.”
A “special” 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
Leclerc further proved his natural talent behind the wheel in Bahrain, qualifying almost three seconds faster than his teammate to claim a maiden pole position on just his second start for the Scuderia.
The now 27-year-old enjoyed a strong race, but his hopes of a maiden win were dashed when he suffered an engine issue on Lap 46. Despite the bad luck, he finished the race third, claiming his first-ever podium in F1 and the first F1 World Championship podium for a Monégasque drive since Louis Chiron’s third-place finish at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.
“And Bahrain was special. Qualifying was unbelievable. And then during the race, yeah, at the end, we had bad luck, but good luck, which we could finish.”
Despite the bad luck, however, Marcos Padros remembers the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix fondly. It was his first pole position with Leclerc and a big moment for them both.
“But we’re leading the race most of the time. So it was really special.
“I still remember going to the grid on first pole position for me and Charles. I will always remember that. Big moment. Lots of good memories there.”
The role of Sebastian Vettel in Leclerc’s development
When Charles Leclerc stepped up to Ferrari in 2019, he partnered with the significantly more experienced Sebastian Vettel, who had been entering his 12th season in F1 and his fifth with the Italian team. Vettel had enjoyed a highly successful career in F1, winning four consecutive world championships with Red Bull Racing between 2010 and 2013.
Though he would not reach these heights of success with Ferrari, by 2019, he had finished in the top four in all of his four seasons with Ferrari, pushing hard for the title in 2017 and 2018. Leclerc and his team learned as much as they could from Vettel, and this helped the Monegasque improve his own skills.
“So Sebastian, yeah, he had a lot more experience. So we tried to learn as much as we could from Sebastian. Really detailed person, wanted to know everything on the car. And that’s what we focus on.”
One area that Leclerc notably improved in was tyre management. In the early stages of his F1 career, Leclerc struggled to maximise his tyre life and performance. However, over time, he steadily improved and as demonstrated in the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, when it comes to tyre management, Leclerc has shown himself capable of being one of the best.
“And also tyre management on their side. So we are trying to learn from them. And nowadays, Charles is quite good on tyre management.”
The tragedy of Spa 2019
Another notable moment of Leclerc’s first season at Ferrari came during the 2019 Belgium Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Though he claimed his maiden F1 win, becoming the first Monégasque to win an F1 Grand Prix since the series inception in 1950, his weekend was marred by the death of Anthoine Hubert.
On the second lap of the F2 feature race, Trident’s Giuliano Alesi spun into the barriers while going through Eau Rouge. Despite attempting evasive action, Hubert the barrier. While the car stopped in the tarmac run-off area, this was not enough to spare the French driver.
Just seconds later, he was crashed into by Juan Manuel Correa, who had lost control of his car after a piece of debris became lodged under a front wheel. With his car unable to turn, Correa crashed into the left side of Hubert’s BWT Arden at an estimated 257 kilometres per hour.
Despite receiving attention from medical staff within one minute of the accident, Hubert did not survive. He died of his injuries less than ninety minutes later. The incident sent shockwaves throughout the motorsport world, but although the F2 feature race was abandoned and the sprint race cancelled, the F1 weekend continued as scheduled, with a minute of silence before the start of the race.
Leclerc put himself under more pressure to win 2019 Belgian GP
The 2019 Belgium Grand Prix weekend was a difficult weekend for all in motorsport, but especially so for Leclerc, a longtime friend of Hubert’s. Despite his grief, however, the Monégasque had a strong race. He crossed the line less than a second ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
“So it was really difficult from Saturday to Sunday. Coming to Sunday, you realise a bit more what happened. Because everyone, after sleep, you take a big breath and you realise how serious it is and the sport we all love.
“He put himself a bit of more pressure to win that race. And he did it.”
This win was a special one for the Monégasque driver who dedicated it to his late friend, Hubert. It was the first of his F1 career and Ferrari’s first since Räikkönen’s at the 2018 United States Grand Prix.
“It was a special one for what happened. And of course, for him as the first win. And yeah, I see it this way.”
Hubert’s death a reminder of the dangers of motorsport
For Marcos Padros, Hubert’s death was a reminder of how dangerous motorsport can be, and the responsibility that race engineers and teams have towards their drivers. He emphasised the importance of remembering a driver’s humanity during the races, especially after such a tragedy.
“Yeah. So for me, of course, it was really sad. And it made me realise that it’s a dangerous sport. You are in charge of a car which someone drives really fast and it’s always dangerous.
“So you feel a bit more responsibility towards this person. And you take care of him, you try to see him more as a human, which I believe is really important.”
“Always a joy” to see Leclerc on street circuits
While Leclerc’s first win came at Spa, the Ferrari driver has shown a special affinity towards the street circuits, most notably the Baku City Circuit. Though Leclerc has yet to win an Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he has taken points from all of the six races that he has participated in. These have included three podium finishes, the most recent of which, a P2, came in 2024. He also qualified on pole four consecutive times between 2021 and 2024.
While Marcos Padros could not definitively say what makes Leclerc so strong in Baku, he indicated that the Monégasque’s simulator preparation and his step-by-step approach to qualifying could be potential assets. While he acknowledged that Leclerc’s approach to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was not unlike those of other drivers, he added that the Monégasque was “quite special” on street circuits.
“Difficult to say, but there’s a lot of simulator preparation. It doesn’t mean that it’s helping him a lot, but you try to understand the limits. And then he’s able to go step by step and try to learn and give everything in qualifying.
“You can argue that everyone is doing that, but in circuits, street circuits, as everyone knows, he is quite special.
“Old style, narrow circuits, yeah. All the castle part, he has some tricks, as everyone, every driver has, but in the castle part, he’s really good there.”
He added, “It’s always a joy to see him on street circuits, especially.”
Leclerc “never stops” until he finds the solution
The former race engineer also highlighted Leclerc’s focus and ability to understand his limit as major contributors to the driver’s strong on-track performance.
“He’s able to focus a lot whenever he’s in the car, and when he understands where his limit is, then he tries to, again, focus on that particular thing, and he improves a lot.”
Melbourne gains
He noted the Australian Grand Prix as an example of this focus and Leclerc’s determination to improve his performance. In stark contrast to Baku, Leclerc’s first attempt at the Australian Grand Prix in 2018 was a comparatively disappointing experience.
After qualifying 18th, he finished the race 13th, though helped by the retirements of five drivers, including his Sauber teammate, Marcus Ericsson. His next attempt in 2019 would be better, although he looked a step behind Vettel that weekend. He finished the race fifth to take his first 10 points from the Albert Park Circuit.
However, Leclerc’s best performance came in 2022 when F1 returned to Australia after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leclerc scored his first career grand slam. After starting from pole position, he led every lap, and set the fastest lap time of the race, to take the win. This was the first grand slam for a Ferrari driver since Fernando Alonso’s at the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.
“It happened like in Australia. In Australia, [it] was not one of his favourite tracks, and after one or two years, he won there by far. And it’s like that’s quite impressive for a circuit that he didn’t like initially. And of course, when they are not fast, every driver, they don’t like it, no, or engineers.
“But yeah, it just, he has a lot of ability to focus, and then until he finds the solution, he never stops.”
A frustrating 2022 season
Despite Leclerc’s dominant performances in the early part of the 2022 season, including his win in Australia, strategy and driver errors, and some unreliability with the car ultimately cost the team a significant number of points. Leclerc finished the season second in the World Drivers’ Championship, behind Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen
While Marcos Padros acknowledged that the season had been “frustrating,” he emphasised that the Ferrari had fielded a competitive car, and this was a priority.
“It was frustrating, but at some point, you realise we had a competitive car, and I would prefer to have a competitive car and not finish because as an engineer, you are there.”
However, he also acknowledged that the team had made mistakes in developing and executing their strategies during the season, but noted that the decisions had been made with the information available to the team at the time.
“First, you have a competitive car, and then you need a reliable car, and in terms of strategy, yeah, everyone does mistakes.
“Whatever Ferrari does, it’s always more public, but again, it’s not easy. You take some decisions with the information that you have at that time, and that’s what it is.”
Still a good season
Despite the challenges and public scrutiny, Marcos Padros stated that the team had enjoyed their overall experience. He described the 2022 F1 season as a “good year overall” as Ferrari finished second in the World Constructors’ Championship.
“After the fact, it’s always easier, but overall, we enjoyed it a lot. It was a good year overall.
“We finished second [in the Constructors’] Championship and second [in the] drivers’, so it was, I would say, I mean, a pretty good year.”
Leclerc ready to win a championship
Though Leclerc has yet to win a championship, his former race engineer believes that he is ready to do so as has been for some time. However, he added that the Monégasque’s championship hopes would require a strong partnership between the driver, car and team.
“So, of course, I believe he is ready. He was ready even before [2025]. Then it’s a combination between driver, car, team. It’s never easy.”
Marcos Padros also added that while Leclerc is “just a normal guy” he would always be special, due to the relationship that they had developed during their time together at Ferrari.
“In terms of [him as a] person, he’s just a normal guy, and for me, it’s always special. We built up a team together, and yeah, it will always be with me, no, this kind of relationship.
“So, we had good and bad moments as everyone, but yeah, that’s part of life.”
When asked if a Leclerc championship title would be special for him, Marcos Padros replied, “Of course, yeah. Him and Ferrari.”
“No regrets” over sudden departure as race engineer
After five seasons and some months, Marcos Padros’ time as Leclerc’s race engineer came to a sudden end. After the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari, in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, announced that Bryan Bozzi would replace Marcos Padros from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onward.
While Marcos Padros acknowledged that the change had been sudden, he described it as “part of the responsibility and the job” that he had been given.
“It was a bit sudden, but yeah, it’s part of the responsibility and the job that I was given, and that’s it.”
He added, “No regrets. It’s decisions, and that’s it.”
Co-author: Rachel Stephens
