Meeting with Boris Penel, Car Manager at MP Motorsport – Episode 1
You often wonder, what goes on behind the scenes in motorsport? MotorsInside went to meet the person in charge of Alexander Smolyar's car at MP Motorsport in FIA F3. In this first part, Boris tells us about his role within the team.
Boris, you work within MP motorsport in FIA F3. This season, you are taking care of car number 11 driven by Alexander Smolyar. How many seasons have you been with this team?
Boris Penel: « This is my 5th season with MP Motorsport. It’s also the team’s 5th campaign in FIA F3. So I’ve been here since the beginning. »
To this day, what is your best memory within this Dutch team?
B.P.: « There were many because we built everything. We will remember our first podium but also our first victory in the first year. But on a more personal note, I think of the victory in Macau with Richard Vershoor at the wheel. We had never raced there before, both the driver and the team. It was a weekend filled with emotions, especially because we have never returned there to this day. I remember that even 7 days before, we didn’t know who would be driving in my car.
What is your role during a race weekend?
B. P.: « It is multifaceted, as F3 requires several skills: we are limited in terms of personnel. So if we want to do the same work, for example, as in F2, we have to work more because there are fewer of us. During a race weekend, I am in charge of the car. That means it is me who decides when the car is ready to hit the track.
All the work upstream is mine, about 80% of it is focused on the car, of which I handle the entirety. In other words, I take care of the engine, the gearbox, the chassis, the aerodynamics, the electronics, and the driver environment.
My second role is the responsibility for reliability across the entire F3 team at MP. We are 3 car chiefs and we oversee each other to ensure that our cars are functioning properly in order to detect problems before they occur. The goal is to have zero breakdowns on the track.
The third role is also very important. It ensures that nothing is missing for the team and the pilots. Organization, anticipation, and experience are essential points.
I think I can say that MP is a reference in FIA F3 for this. In terms of schedule, facilities, organization, quality of equipment, MP is now at the forefront in all these areas and we never stop trying to improve in order to make the team’s hard and sometimes long days easier.
“What do you do between race weekends? Does MP send you messages?”
in reinforcement in other disciplines?
B. P.:« Sometimes it happens. We all have families, even though sometimes we can put them aside. It is important to help each other and be able to fill in for colleagues so that the team always performs at its best. As for me, I have been traveling for two years now to strengthen the FIA F2, the highest championship for MP Motorsport.
With the F3 team at MP, we also have the responsibility of a Mercedes GT3 AMG that we have assembled in our workshop. We participate in a few races, around three per year, due to lack of time. Our goal every year is the Dubai 24-hour race. In fact, we won in the PRO/Am category in 2022 before a podium finish in 2021. The level is quite high, as in 2022 there were over 35 GT3 cars present out of the 70 cars entered.
