Engineers, working in the shadows of the motorsport world

In a world where drivers are kings, engineers rarely enjoy a large share of the limelight. But then again, that’s not what they’re looking for. They have more important jobs to do.

Julien Jehanne is technical manager for all circuit vehicles at Renault Sport, covering a total of six competitions ranging from the Clio Cup to the Formula Renault 3.5 series. So he has enough work to fill his days – sometimes too much! On race weekends, his marathon day begins at 8am.

“We are constantly present in the pit lane, in order to respond quickly in case of any technical problems and to make sure cars are out of the pits as soon as possible,” he said.

“Sometimes we finish at 8pm, but with all the technical problems that can arise throughout the day we are often still there until 11pm or midnight!”

Despite the mental and physical demands of his profession and the heavy workload, the engineer feels privileged.

“I consider that anyone able to live out their dream is lucky. I am aware that not everybody has that opportunity,” he said.

As a young man he started out on a different path, one where fewer questions are asked and where the effort required is intense but lasts over a shorter period: the world of karting. With the position and corresponding responsibilities he has today, Jehanne had to make sacrifices.

“This job takes up a huge amount of your time,” he told us. “In order to do it as well as possible, it obviously has an impact on your private life.” He has no regrets, however.

After seven years of motor racing experience, he now has the versatility that he was looking for, working on the design, development and evolution of race cars for Renault.

Although there is a results-driven aspect to a job like his, in a company as big as Renault Sport he does not feel like the pressure is ever unbearable. The teams competing in races – who are clients of the Renault brand – are in a more difficult situation, however. These small teams are financed by their drivers, and they can soon find themselves in the red if performances are not up to scratch.

“Our goal consists of ensuring that these clients can work in the best possible conditions,” he said. And, sometimes, things don’t quite go according to plan.

“Two years ago, during one competition, several cars presented problems with their propulsion systems. We had to bring in engines by plane overnight. This created a very difficult relationship with the teams – we had never had a problem like that before, it was completely new. There were also plenty of potential pitfalls that we could have run into whilst resolving the problem – we really had no room for error!”

Luckily for him, these kind of large scale problems are rare – just like days off…