Charles Leclerc’s ex-engineer lands top job with Cadillac

From F1 to sportscars, Xavi Marcos has joined Cadillac
Cadillac Racing have appointed Charles Leclerc’s former race engineer Xavier Marcos as the new technical director of their LMDh sportscar project.
After seven years with Ferrari, six of which he spent as Leclerc’s race engineer, Marcos has left the team to take up the new role at Cadillac.
Xavi Marcos has left Ferrari for Cadillac
Marcos began his Formula 1 journey in 2010 with HRT before joining Williams as a performance engineer. He made the switch to the NASCAR Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing before returning to Formula 1 with Ferrari in 2018.
After a year in the factory, he was given the role of Leclerc’s race engineer which he held through to the 2024 Miami Grand Prix after which he was replaced by Bryan Bozzi, instead taking another role within Ferrari.
The change in race engineer came on the back of a few flashpoints between Leclerc and Marcos, the last coming at the Chinese Grand Prix when Marcos asked the driver to go back to his “original” line for “comparison”.
A baffled Leclerc replied: “What the hell does that mean?”
Marcos snapped back: “Just forget it!”
Despite reports of tension between the two, Leclerc took to social media to wish Marcos “good luck” for the future.
“So many years working together,” he wrote on Instagram, “my first pole, my first win as well as my first year in Ferrari was alongside you and you always got the better out of me by pushing so hard no matter the situation we were in. Thank you for everything and good luck for your new adventures in the future.”
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Having been moved to another position within Ferrari, Marcos’ time with the Scuderia is now officially over.
His new position as the technical director of Cadillac Racing’s LMDh sports car project will see him oversee both the WEC and IMSA championships, supporting new LMDh programme manager Keely Bosn.
Marcos will be responsible for all technical aspects with a focus on engineering, car performance, and development.
For 2025, Cadillac has expanded its IMSA program to three cars, while in the WEC, there will be two Hypercars in collaboration with Jota.
“Motorsports remains a key platform for General Motors to hone engineering and leadership skills in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment and make the company stronger,” the company said in a statement.
“To further support its IMSA and WEC programs, GM Motorsports is rolling out a new Cadillac Racing leadership structure. The moves reflect the level of resources and investment that GM is making in its global motorsports initiatives.”
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