Meeting with Boris Penel, Car Manager at MP Motorsport – Episode 2

Before joining MP in FIA F3, which other team did you work for?

Boris Penel: I have worked in a few teams. I started at DAMS where I worked for 4 years. Firstly in the GP2 Championship for 2 years, notably with Jolyon PALMER (champion driver/team) and then with Pierre GASLY in 2015.

In 2016, the team decided to compete in GP3, and that’s where I started working as a car manager. I worked there for 2 years and at the same time, I was also the head mechanic in Formula E with Sébastien Buemi and the E.DAMS team (driver/team champion).

In 2016 and 2017, in the Double Championship, I would leave for a schedule of approximately 18 meetings per year.

The world of racing, which makes many young teenagers dream

What was your educational background and career path that brought you to where you are now? (studies/internship/…)

B.P.: « First, I did a BAC STI in motorized systems.

Next, a BTS AVA (After Sales Automobile)

In addition to all of that, I did my internships and summer jobs at the Porsche dealership in Lorient, where they had a racing team. I would leave every weekend to compete in the VdeV championship.

Afterwards, I pursued a Professional Bachelor’s degree in Motorsport Mechanics (LPMC). It is the one and only program in France, based at the University of Maine in Le Mans.

This degree only selects 16 candidates per year. It is free of course, but very selective. It is complemented by a minimum one-month internship in England where I was at McLaren F1, and a four-month full immersion in a team of our choice, where I was selected by DAMS.

What would you like to say to these young people who want to work in

Automobile competition?

B.P.: « I sometimes give conferences and meetings in vocational high schools. Often, the students have the certainty that it’s inaccessible. I assure you that they are mistaken. I had no connection to motorsport before I decided to make it my profession. My parents always supported me, but they were not familiar with this environment at all. Today, they are fans of it.

It’s an exciting job, sometimes tough but I assure you that it provides emotions that few other jobs can.

Furthermore, there is work. It is by no means a so-called “dead-end” path.

So give it a try! Come live the experience and also travel!

“Would the ultimate achievement for you be to join an F1 team? And what if you had the opportunity?”

The choice which team would you like to join?

B.P.: «Oh tough question! Every winter, I do look at the deals, that’s true.

However, it is still a different lifestyle choice compared to those support championships of Formula 1. The choice to pursue a career in F1 in the paddocks, I specify, not in the factory, is also a life choice! The 22 races per season when you are close to the car and the driver is a real challenge. You have to be at the top all the time!

Last season, I was offered to join a team in the lower half of the table. I took it seriously, but maybe it was a little too early.

Do you have a team that you would like to work for?

B.P.: « There is no team that I particularly prefer. We don’t work in a team just because we are fans of the colors or the drivers. This world of F1 moves very fast and everything changes all the time.

However, I think that working in F1 would be the culmination of this life where we don’t have the necessary time to dedicate to our families and friends in order to thank them for allowing us to pursue our passion at the highest level.

Do you see yourself in this environment for a long time?

B.P.: «Difficult to say, I do enjoy this world, it’s true, so I don’t plan on stopping tomorrow. I feel good in this team anyway. Maybe that’s why I’m waiting a bit before joining the prestigious Formula 1 family.

If I were to change career fields, I think I would go towards working with pilots. I appreciate the relationship between drivers and the team.

What can we wish for you in the future?

B.P.: «I think it’s a job/passion that already gives us the privilege of waking up in the morning with a smile. So let’s imagine the future and continue like this, and maybe one day, the opportunity of a top-notch team will open up the possibility for me to perform at an even higher level than what I’m currently doing. »

Thank you Boris for sharing your journey and experience at MP Motorsport with us.