Leclerc's Former Ferrari Race Engineer Joins Cadillac F1 as Chief Race Engineer
Xavier Marcos Padros, the former Ferrari race engineer for Charles Leclerc, has been named chief race engineer for the new Cadillac F1 team. He brings championship-winning experience to the American constructor as it prepares for its 2026 debut, having already been involved in its first on-track F1 test.
Xavier Marcos Padros, who served as Charles Leclerc's race engineer at Ferrari for five seasons, has been appointed as the chief race engineer for the Cadillac F1 team ahead of its 2026 debut. The move follows his recent stint as technical director for Cadillac's sports car program and marks a significant addition to the new constructor's technical leadership.
Why it matters:
Cadillac is assembling a team of experienced personnel to build a competitive foundation from scratch. Securing a race engineer with a proven track record of race wins and front-running experience at a top team like Ferrari provides invaluable operational knowledge and credibility. This hire signals Cadillac's serious intent to be a professional and technically sound operation from day one.
The details:
- Xavier Marcos Padros was Leclerc's race engineer from 2019 to 2024, a period during which the Monegasque driver secured five Grand Prix victories.
- Ferrari moved Marcos Padros to other internal projects after the 2024 Miami GP, replacing him with Bryan Bozzi.
- He joined Cadillac in January 2025, initially as technical director for its LMDh sports car projects in WEC and IMSA.
- Cadillac has now confirmed his transition to the F1 project as chief race engineer.
- He was reportedly on-site at Imola last month for Cadillac's first real-world F1 test, where Sergio Perez drove a modified 2023 Ferrari chassis.
- The team has also finalized its 2026 driver-specific race engineers: Carlo Pasetti (ex-Aston Martin) for Sergio Perez and John Howard (ex-Alpine) for Valtteri Bottas.
What's next:
Marcos Padros will be central to integrating Cadillac's track operations as the team ramps up its on-track testing program ahead of the 2026 season. His experience in race strategy, driver communication, and engineering at the sharp end of the grid will be critical in developing efficient weekend procedures and maximizing the performance of the new car and power unit from the outset.