In Formula 1, the spotlight is most often on the drivers, but it’s easy to overlook those who keep the teams running behind the scenes — the team principals.

Over the years, and especially with the rise of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, some of them have grown into major media and social-media personalities. And with Cadillac joining the grid, the door has been opened for one more team principal we’ll be seeing this season.

Having joined the team in 2015 during the depths of McLaren’s crisis with Honda — and after bringing a long spell at Ferrari to an end — the Italian quickly rose through the ranks. He initially worked closely with Fernando Alonso, much as he had done in Maranello, before moving into increasingly senior roles, being promoted to Performance Director in 2018 and then Executive Director in 2019.

At the start of 2023, he was appointed to succeed Andreas Seidl, forming one of the most recognisable partnerships on the grid alongside Zak Brown. Together, they have played a key role in steering McLaren back to the top, delivering two Constructors’ titles and a Drivers’ Championship over the past two seasons.

Following Christian Horner’s exit from Red Bull last summer, Toto Wolff remains the most experienced team principal on the Formula 1 grid. Having entered the sport as an investor and executive, the Austrian joined Mercedes in 2013 as team principal and went on to play a central role in one of the most dominant periods in F1 history, guiding the Silver Arrows to sustained success throughout the hybrid era from 2014 to 2021.

Alongside his duties on the pit wall, Wolff is also a key shareholder in the Brackley-based team. Until recently, he owned a 33% stake in Mercedes before selling 15% of his shares to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz.

Even as Mercedes have grappled with the challenges of the current regulations, Wolff continues to stand out as one of the paddock’s most powerful and respected figures, remaining a major reference point within Formula 1.

One of the youngest appointments among the current team principals, the Frenchman spent just a single year at the helm of Racing Bulls before receiving the call to step up to Milton Keynes last summer, taking over the reins left behind by Horner.

Despite coming from a strong engineering background, he has also impressed on the pit wall, playing a key role in Red Bull’s resurgence in recent months — a turnaround that saw Max Verstappen fight for the title until the final race, while also restoring internal stability within the team.

The Frenchman first made his name in the junior categories, where he also helped launch major talents — most notably Lewis Hamilton during his time at ART Grand Prix in Formula 2 — before establishing himself at the top level in F1 with Renault and Sauber.

Vasseur is now set to embark on his fourth season at the helm of the Maranello-based team, having taken over the role vacated by Mattia Binotto at the end of 2022. Under his leadership, Ferrari were able to mount a Constructors’ Championship challenge right up to the final race against McLaren in 2024.

However, his tenure has not been without its struggles, with the difficult 2023 and 2025 campaigns weighing on his record, as Ferrari failed to match their rivals in terms of results during those seasons.

Also among the more recently appointed team principals, Vowles has helped steer Williams back towards fighting for positions more in line with the team’s stature in just over two years, even if a full return to success remains a distant goal.

The Brit built his reputation as chief strategist at Mercedes during the height of the Silver Arrows’ dominance before taking on the significant responsibility of leading Williams. So far, the results have been more than encouraging — convincing top-level drivers such as Carlos Sainz to buy into the long-term project.

Permane, too, has relatively limited experience in the team principal role, having taken over from Mekies at the helm of the Faenza-based outfit. However, he remains one of the most seasoned figures in the paddock, boasting more than 30 years of experience across multiple teams.

Permane first joined Benetton in 1989 and went on to become a constant presence through the team’s many transformations spanning, Renault, Lotus and eventually Alpine. Over the decades, he carved out a reputation as a highly influential sporting and engineering figure, playing a role in Renault’s title-winning campaigns in the mid-2000s and later overseeing key areas such as race operations and performance management.

Following his departure from Alpine in 2023, he moved to Racing Bulls as Racing Director before subsequently stepping up to succeed Mekies as team principal. Taking on the challenge, he led the Faenza-based team to a strong sixth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship last season.

Arguably the biggest surprise we will see on the pit wall next season. After an exceptionally long Formula 1 career spanning March, Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, one of the most influential aerodynamicists in the sport’s history decided to take on a new challenge with the team headed by Lawrence Stroll, joining the outfit last year as Managing Technical Partner.

The Colchester-born engineer has already played a significant role in the development of the AMR26, which is set to hit the track in the coming weeks. As part of a wider internal reshuffle, he will also step into the team principal role left vacant by Andy Cowell, even though his primary focus will remain on his core technical duties.

Like many of his peers in modern Formula 1, the Japanese engineer comes from a strong technical background. After entering the sport with BAR and later working at Renault and Lotus, Komatsu became best known for his long tenure at Haas, where he spent several years as Director of Engineering.

At the start of 2024, Komatsu was promoted to Team Principal of Haas, taking over from the outgoing Guenther Steiner, who had led the team since its Formula 1 debut in 2016.

He is also one of the figures who helped make Red Bull such a powerhouse over the past 20 years and now finds himself at the helm of an ambitious new project with the German manufacturer, which has recently completed its acquisition of Sauber and is edging closer to its Formula 1 debut.

Wheatley rose through the ranks at the Milton Keynes-based team, establishing himself as a highly respected sporting director before calling time on his Red Bull chapter in 2024 to take on the role of team principal at Audi.

Lowdon is set for a return to Formula 1, having first entered the championship with Virgin Racing in 2010. That operation later became Marussia — the team involved in the tragic Suzuka accident that claimed the life of Jules Bianchi in 2014 — with Lowdon remaining in charge as team principal until 2015. After stepping away from F1, he stayed closely involved in motorsport, continuing his work through Manor’s World Endurance Championship programmes.

In December 2024, he was appointed team principal of Cadillac and will now oversee the American marque’s long-awaited arrival on the Formula 1 grid, a milestone that is now rapidly approaching.

Alpine found itself in an unusual situation following the unexpected exit of Oliver Oakes, with the responsibilities of team principal split between Flavio Briatore and Steve Nielsen. Briatore returned to Formula 1 as an executive consultant despite his ban in the aftermath of the 2009 Crashgate scandal, while Nielsen was appointed managing director to help stabilise the team’s structure.

Nielsen is a highly experienced figure in the paddock, having first entered Formula 1 with Lotus back in the 1980s. He later held senior sporting roles across several teams, including Tyrrell, Honda and Arrows, before becoming a central part of Renault’s operations.

His expertise later saw him transition into senior management roles within Formula 1 itself as Sporting Director at Formula One.