On Tuesday it was announced that Pat Symonds would be leaving Formula 1 as Chief Technical Officer. The employees were informed of this internally on Monday after the decision had reportedly been made for some time. However, there was no official announcement from the racing series.
The real bombshell came a few hours later. Shortly before 6 p.m., Andretti Global announced in a broadcast that Pat Symonds would be joining the US racing team after his departure from Formula 1. The Brit is currently on gardening leave, but as soon as this expires he will work as a consultant at Andretti-Cadillac.
Pat Symonds becomes Andretti advisor
The change is particularly explosive because Andretti and Formula 1 have operated as direct opponents in recent months. At the end of January, the premier class rejected the inclusion of Andretti as the eleventh F1 team, sometimes with flimsy reasons, after the Americans had received the green light from the FIA the previous year following a thorough examination.
It is not known how long the barrier clause in his Formula 1 contract will apply before Symonds can effectively start working for Andretti. In any case, after this point he will work from the team’s European location in Silverstone. On April 10, the factory was close to the British circuit and near the headquarters of the F1 team Aston Martin opened. Around 80 employees work from there on an area of 4,460 square meters in order to push ahead with the Formula 1 entry, which is still planned.
Symonds has been with Formula 1 as Chief Technical Officer since 2017. In this position, he was largely responsible for developing the technical regulations for the ground effect era from 2022. He also played a role in the development of the new chassis rules for 2026. These are said to be almost completed at the moment, with an announcement expected next month.
Andretti: Symonds’ expertise plays a crucial role
Announcing Symonds, Andretti Global CEO Michael Andretti said: “We are delighted to welcome Pat to the Andretti family. Pat’s in-depth knowledge of aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and Formula 1 power units will help us build a competitive team .”
“I believe his expertise has been instrumental in shaping the history of Formula 1 and his vote of confidence in joining our efforts speaks volumes. I am very happy about this next step as our work continues apace,” he said the former Formula 1 driver and son of F1 world champion Mario Andretti continues.
Despite the rejection by Formula 1, Andretti is currently developing a car according to the current technical regulations in order to build up the know-how and be as well prepared as possible for entry. The nose of Andretti’s F1 car has even been through crash tests.
Pat Symonds meets ex-Renault colleagues
Officially, Symonds will have the title of Executive Engineering Consultant. The 70-year-old has been a long-time favorite in Formula 1 since the early 1980s. After joining the sport at Toleman, he has been in the sport for decades at Benetton and Renault under contract.
As a result of the Crashgate scandal, he lost his position as head of technology at the French company. In 2011 he joined Virgin Racing (later: Marussia/Manor). The last Formula 1 team he worked for before moving to Formula 1 was Williams. In Grove he was Chief Technical Officer from 2013 to 2016.
Symonds meets an old acquaintance at Andretti-Cadillac. He had already worked with Andretti’s technical director Nick Chester at Renault for nine years. At the time, Chester was a race engineer and later head of the vehicle performance group, while Symonds was head of technology.