Every lap gives the team more information. The skill is finding what information matters and which change could make the car faster the next time it leaves the garage. At Atlassian Williams F1 Team, performance optimisation engineers use simulation, track data, and driver feedback to find those opportunities.
We spoke to Franceso Meneghini, a Performance Optimisation Engineer, to find out more about the role and how it helps create the winning formula.
Where F1 performance optimisation jobs fit into the team
Performance optimisation engineers look at the car as a connected system. A change in one area can affect several others, so finding lap time means understanding the trade-offs rather than chasing one number in isolation.
Using offline simulation and the Driver-in-the-Loop simulator, the team can study areas including aero characteristics, tyre behaviour, suspension and the balance between stiffness and weight. Some questions are about improving the current car, while others help set the direction for future concepts.
Francesco Meneghini, Performance Optimisation Engineer, describes the role as one that rewards curiosity:
“Performance optimisation is a role where we get to dig deeper into details. We explore all the options and the opportunities to help the team make the best decisions when it comes to the race.”
How simulation data improves lap time
Simulation allows the team to explore different directions without using valuable track time. Engineers can change a parameter, study the effect, and compare the result against data already gathered from the car.
The Driver-in-the-Loop simulator adds another important perspective. It helps engineers understand how a change affects the car’s behaviour and whether the result shown in the data can be used on track.
Neither source tells the whole story by itself. The real value comes from bringing simulation, track data, and driver feedback together. When they line up, the team has a much stronger basis for its next decision.
For Francesco, that ability to look ahead is one of the most exciting parts of the role:
“We use our simulation tool and the Driver-in-the-Loop, and when everything correlates, it’s powerful. I feel like an explorer most of the time because maybe people can understand the anatomy of the car, but the combinations needed to extract performance from it as massive. We use data from simulations and from the track, merge them, and figure out what the next best decision to make is.”
What performance optimisation engineers do on a race weekend
Once a race weekend begins, the questions performance optimisation engineer answer become immediate.
As Francesco explains:
“On a race weekend, I’m in the ops room most of the time. I get to start digging into the details and understand what we have to do to make it faster. We share the feedback with the race team so they can make the right call and are aware of what’s going on.
“The quality of the analysis matters, but so does the way it’s shared. Race engineers need a clear view of what’s happening and what options are available. Performance optimisation engineers are accountable for how useful the information they provide is.
“We provide the best insights and information about the car to the team in order to make everyone aware of the opportunities that our machinery is giving us to make the right call when it comes to race weekend.”
Skills needed for Formula 1 performance optimisation jobs
Formula 1 performance optimisation jobs need people who can move confidently between engineering theory and real car behaviour. A strong understanding of vehicle dynamics is central, along with the analytical skills to plan studies and interpret what comes back.
The role suits engineers who are naturally curious but still disciplined about how they reach an answer. Results don’t always support the original idea. A simulation may expose a different problem, or the track data may force the team to reconsider what it thought it knew. That willingness to learn from the evidence is part of the resilience needed in performance engineering jobs.
Useful experience can include:
- Applying engineering first principles to vehicle performance problems
- Using MATLAB, Python and simulation tools
- Understanding aerodynamics, tyres or suspension behaviour
- Translating detailed analysis into clear recommendations
- Working with driver feedback and track data
Why teamwork matters in performance engineering jobs
The performance optimisation group works across vehicle performance and with teams throughout engineering. Its findings may need input from several specialists before they become a recommendation the race team can use.
That makes relationships important. People need to be comfortable sharing an unfinished idea, asking for another perspective and admitting when the evidence has pointed somewhere different. That connection between people and performance is central to the team’s transformation.
Francesco says the people around him have made a demanding role enjoyable:
“My time here has been challenging for sure, but really enjoyable. I like challenges and the people I work with have made everything great. I really enjoy working alongside my team, it’s a big team effort at Williams.”
He’s also seen closer collaboration build momentum across the wider vehicle performance group:
“You can tell that the team is coming together and we are working well together within the performance optimisation group and with the other groups. When you create that bond with other people, that’s where the magic happens and how the car goes faster.”
Shaping future car performance
Performance optimisation doesn’t only look at the next session. By examining why the current car behaves as it does, the team can set better targets for future projects. That may mean researching a new performance area, improving simulation capability, or giving chief engineers a clearer view of the choices available.
As we build towards the next chapter of our Formula 1 story, performance optimisation specialists play an important part by helping everyone act on stronger information and keep development moving at pace. It’s a chance to make real impact on today’s car while helping shape the future of the next one.
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