Simon Rennie
Simon Rennie | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1980 Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Motorsport engineer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Known for | Formula One race engineer and Simulation Engineering group leader at Red Bull Racing |
Simon Rennie (born 29 April 1980) is a British motorsport engineer who currently leads the Simulation Engineering group at Red Bull Racing.
Career
Originating from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Rennie commenced his Formula One career with the Renault F1 team in . He served as Data Engineer for Fernando Alonso during the 2005 season when Alonso secured the World Championship, and continued in this role for Alonso's successful title defense the following year. In , Rennie maintained his position as Data Engineer, this time supporting Heikki Kovalainen after Alonso moved on.
Rennie reunited with Alonso in , playing a part in Renault’s victories at the contentious Singapore Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix. His promotion to race engineer came in , overseeing Alonso’s campaign during a year marked by the Crashgate controversy. He retained his race engineer responsibilities for Robert Kubica in , a period that saw changes in Renault’s management and sponsorship.
Following Kubica’s rally accident in 2011, Rennie transitioned to engineering Nick Heidfeld at Lotus Renault F1. The subsequent year, he became one of Kimi Räikkönen’s race engineers, gaining recognition for a widely noted radio communication during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Rennie joined Red Bull Racing in as Mark Webber’s race engineer and later worked with Daniel Ricciardo starting in 2014. In 2019, he shifted to a factory-based position coinciding with Ricciardo’s departure, with Mike Lugg taking over race engineering duties. Returning to trackside in 2020, Rennie resumed engineering Alexander Albon after Albon requested a more seasoned engineer following Lugg’s reassignment.
In 2021, Rennie stepped down from his Race Engineer role and was succeeded by Hugh Bird for Sergio Pérez. During the 2025 season, Rennie temporarily acted as Max Verstappen’s race engineer at both the Austrian and Belgian Grands Prix while also fulfilling Head of Racing responsibilities during Gianpiero Lambiase’s absence.
Throughout his career, Rennie has demonstrated versatility and technical expertise across premier Formula One teams, playing a key role in enhancing driver performance and shaping team strategies within highly competitive environments.