F1 | Andretti continues to hire: Symonds arrives as a consultant

On Tuesday it emerged that Symonds had left his position as Formula 1 technical director after seven years working with the series organisers. His role was crucial not only in the drafting of the technical regulations which debuted in 2022, but also in the definition of the next technical cycle which will start in 2026.

With the chassis rules for 2026 now largely finalised, with the draft expected to be out within the next month if there are no further delays, Symonds has decided to leave Formula 1 to dedicate himself to a new project which has made no secret of the own ambitions in recent months.

Symonds’ next destination will be Andretti Global, which has confirmed that it has signed the well-known British engineer in a bid to strengthen its staff to continue dreaming of F1, despite the recent rejection by the series organizers who rejected the team’s request American.

Michael Andretti has hired the septuagenarian as an executive engineering consultant, so he will be a figure who will contribute to strengthening the staff while also acting as a reference for the engineers who are joining the team in recent months. Andretti has always spoken clearly about its plans to expand and widen the technical group, not only hiring technicians from rival teams, but also going fishing in universities in an attempt to convince young talents to embark on a new challenge which, for the moment, he is not yet certain of being part of F1’s future plans.

Symonds will work from the team’s recently opened UK headquarters in Silverstone following a period of medical leave. Symonds was an integral part of Michael Schumacher’s successes at Betton, remaining at Renault for a long time until the Crashgate scandal. After a period of absence, the Briton returned to F1 as a consultant for Virgin, before arriving at Williams and, finally, in the technical group wanted by Liberty Media starting from 2017. Now there will be a new adventure waiting for him.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Pat to the Andretti family. His in-depth knowledge of F1 aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and Power Units will be critical as we continue to build a competitive team,” said Michael Andretti in announcing the arrival. of Symonds within the team.

“I believe his experience has been instrumental in shaping our path in Formula 1 and his vote of confidence in joining us speaks volumes. I am really excited about this next step as our work continues apace.”

Pat Symonds

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

At Andretti Symonds joins former Benetton and Renault colleague Nick Chester, who leads the engineering team as Andretti Cadillac’s technical director.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Pat in the past and he has a wealth of knowledge that we can draw on. Pat, in his role as Executive Technical Advisor, will bring expertise across all technical areas and operations that will help us develop the team.” , Chester said.

The arrival of Symonds is another step in that process of strengthening that Andretti is following, who even after the refusal of F1 in January has never hidden the desire to continue work at a rapid pace to convince the organizers of the series to guarantee a place on the grill as soon as possible.

In fact, despite being denied entry for 2026, the team continued its recruitment campaign, with the hope that the door will be open to 2028, when GM should also enter with a Power Unit produced in the United States, is a real possibility. A topic very dear to the USA, with several senators asking the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to launch a formal investigation into the reasons that pushed F1 to reject Andretti’s first request.