The Secret to a Perfect F1 Driver-Engineer Partnership | Rob Smedley on Massa, Lewis & Ferrari (E393)
The High Performance Podcast
High Performance
4.6 • 4.8K Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2026
⏱️ 105 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rob Smedley is one of Formula 1’s most respected engineers, known for his work with drivers like Felipe Massa and his time at Ferrari. In this episode, Rob sits down with Jake to share what it really takes to perform at the highest level, from the intense pressure of F1 to the human connections that make success possible.
Rob reflects on his first meeting with Felipe Massa, explaining how belief, structure, and brutal honesty helped Felipe find his first podium. He shares why driver and engineer relationships thrive on trust and transparency, and how tough conversations, done right, can transform performance.
He also opens up about the emotional side of F1, from the heartbreak of Felipe’s 2009 Hungary crash to personal losses that gave him perspective on life and sport. These moments show the human cost of high performance and why managing emotion is as important as managing the car.
Beyond the track, Rob talks about giving back through the FAT Karting League, making motorsport more accessible for thousands of young drivers. This episode is a rare look at leadership, resilience, and the balance between pressure and care at the very top of sport.
Find out more about FAT Karting League: https://fat-international.shop/en-ng/pages/karting-league
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | He's Louis Hamilton, but it's still very, very different. |
| 0:05.0 | It must be uncomfortable, right? Your boss has basically come out and told you you shut up in public. |
| 0:09.0 | Felipe, Fernando is faster than you. |
| 0:13.0 | It's one of those that you look back and just wish that we had all done it differently. |
| 0:18.0 | On that Saturday night, you know, we don't really know whether he's going to make it. |
| 0:22.6 | My goodness. Sorry. |
| 0:29.3 | You're listening to High Performance. Thanks to everyone who's already subscribed. If you've not, |
| 0:34.5 | right now is the time because you'll get new episodes the moment they drop |
| 0:37.5 | and your support helps us bring more world-class guests onto the show. |
| 0:42.5 | Tap subscribe right now and keep growing with high performance. |
| 0:50.0 | Rob, welcome to high performance. It's nice to see you again. |
| 0:52.6 | It is lovely to see you, Jake, and thank you very much for having me. Thank you for coming on. Not only is it nice to see an old friend who I used to spend a lot of time with, but I can't wait for people to hear this conversation because you were central to one of the most dramatic ends to a Formula on title race ever. You've got a first-hand experience of working working with Michael Schumacher, first-hand experience of working alongside Fernando Alonso and Kimi Reichen. You've suffered heartbreak in your personal life and in your professional life. You've had the greatest of highs. You've helped to transform Williams in the last few years. And I want to talk about all of it. Does that sound good? |
| 1:28.1 | That sounds great. Let's do it. But I want to start by rewinding the clock right back to 2006, |
| 1:33.4 | where you had not spent any time, I don't think, with Felipe Massa, and you get a call from |
| 1:39.4 | someone at Ferrari asking you to go meet him. Take us to that moment. So Felipe joined us. I kind of knew Felipe. |
| 1:46.3 | I'd watched him come on the scene and I met him in, I think, 2001, 2000, 2001 when he was just, |
| 1:56.1 | he hadn't quite graduated at Formula One. So I kind of knew him to say hello to. And then he came to Ferrari and he did, I think, the first four, five races |
| 2:08.6 | with a very competent engineer who had a really good run with Rubens Barakello called Gabrielli Deli Collie, |
| 2:16.6 | who's a mate of mine, a very good |
| 2:18.8 | engineer. I had a great career in Formula One, but it felt like they weren't jelling. |
| 2:26.7 | Yeah. You know, you have a great relationship and a great working partnership with one driver. |
| 2:32.0 | It doesn't mean to say it's going to work with another driver. |
... |
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