'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
F1 drivers are known for their bravery and unparalleled skills behind the wheel, but their race engineers also play a huge role in success on the track. The race engineer is the driver's eyes and ears, sharing every emotion from their charge on track.
The dynamic between a driver and his race engineer is extremely crucial for success on the grid, as the latter provides valuable data about their surroundings and helps the drivers get the most out of their cars.
With that being said, below is a list of Top 5 iconic driver-race engineer partnerships in history:
Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington- Mercedes F1
Trending
Peter Bonnington has been one of the key players behind Lewis Hamilton's success with the Mercedes F1 team since joining them in the 2013 season. The duo have won six driver's and eight constructors championships as a pair from 2014-2021.
Bonnington, or Bono as he is popularly known, has been in his ear for all his 84 race wins with the German team, and his catchphrase to motivate the seven-time world champion 'Hammertime' has also become iconic.
Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase- Red Bull
Gianpiero Lambiase, or GP, has been a guiding light for Max Verstappen since he joined and won his first race for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish GP.
The Italian engineer and the Dutch driver are often seen bickering on the team radios like brothers but the former is aware of how to push the 26-year-old and extract the most out of him.
Sebastian Vettel and Guillaume Rocquelin- Red Bull
Before GP and Verstappen, it was Sebastian Vettel and Guillaume Rocquelin, or Rocky, as the iconic duo in the Milton-Keynes outfit as the Italian guided the German driver to four consecutive driver's championships from 2010 to 2013.
He played an important role in honing Vettel's raw talent and controlling his outbursts in tricky situations such as the Turkish GP, while also holding him accountable at the 2013 Malaysian GP for not obeying team orders.
Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley- Ferrari
Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley became a popular and iconic duo at the Italian team after the latter replaced Gabriele Delli Colli as the Brazilian's race engineer in the middle of the 2006 season.
The British driver lived and breathed every signal emotion of his charge on track including the heartbreaking moments from the 2008 Brazilian GP finale, where he lost the title on the final corner to Lewis Hamilton. Smedley followed Massa to Williams F1 from 2014 till his retirement in 2017.
Fernando Alonso and Andrea Stella- Ferrari
Andrea Stella had the privilege to work with Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, and Fernando Alonso on the Ferrari F1 team but his time with the Spanish driver from 2010 to 2014 made them a formidable duo on the grid.
The Italian even followed the two-time world champion to McLaren in 2015 when they shifted from Ferrari and rose the ranks at the Woking-based outfit to become its team principal in 2023.
