It was motorsport that won over, however, and in 2001 Michelin recruited Pierre to study the interaction between track surfaces and the rubber of its Formula One tyres. His interest was strictly at the molecular level but eventually he moved away from the microscope and took on more responsibility, becoming a project leader at Michelin, responsible for adherence and simulation for F1.
When the French tyre supplier pulled out of F1, Pierre moved to BMW-Sauber as a vehicle performance engineer, again working predominantly with tyres and suspension. He became head of the Swiss team’s vehicle performance group, and then, in 2012, joined Sauber’s technical committee, with responsibility for race engineering and vehicle performance.
The Saubers of this era, with a highly-rated young driver named Sergio Pérez at the wheel, were famously competitive, thanks in large part to being gentle on tyres, which allowed the team run highly effective alternative strategies.
After a successful 2012, Pierre joined Red Bull Racing at the beginning of 2013. He came on board as our Chief Engineer – Performance Engineering, as well as being responsible for the vehicle dynamics department, but by 2018 he had risen to the role of Technical Director.
Since then, Pierre has played a key role in the Team’s success, beginning with RB16B that took Max Verstappen to his first Drivers’ title in 2021. Its successor, RB18, designed from a blank slate set of new regulations proved to be even more successful, taking Max to a second title and securing the Team its fifth Constructors’ Championship title and its first since 2013.
The following year’s RB19 gave the Team its most successful season ever, winning 21 of 22 races, and sweeping to both titles. While the Constructors’ title eluded the Team in 2024, RB20 brought Max a fourth straight Drivers’ crown. A final season with this generation of cars now beckons, as Pierre also takes on the challenge of leading the technical Team into the next set of major regulation changes, due to come into force in 2026.
“Why do I enjoy F1?,” he asks. “Because it’s the only place in the world where you have a real engineering competition – and for an engineer, this is wonderful. The only limitation is... yourself.– and for me, this is what makes me want to come to work every morning. You don’t have to be a driver, or on the pit wall, or working on a pitstop, even back at the factory you are a competitor – and when you have a victory it’s... fantastic.”
