Marcin Budkowski is one of Formula One’s most respected engineering leaders, with experience spanning championship-winning teams, global governance and board-level leadership. Over more than two decades, he has worked at the heart of the sport with Ferrari, McLaren, the FIA, Renault Sport Racing and the Alpine F1 Team, shaping both technical performance and organisational culture. Marcin combines elite engineering expertise with strategic oversight, offering audiences a rare view into how world-class teams operate when every millisecond counts.
After graduating from École Polytechnique and completing advanced aeronautical studies at ISAE SUPAERO and Imperial College London, Marcin began his career as an aerodynamicist before rising through the ranks at Ferrari. During his time there, he contributed to multiple World Championship-winning campaigns. He later joined McLaren, where he became Head of Aerodynamics, leading a department of more than 100 specialists and playing a key role in sustaining competitive performance at the front of the grid. Marcin understands how to align highly skilled experts behind a shared objective, balancing innovation with operational discipline.
In 2014, Marcin moved to the sport’s governing body, becoming Head of the Formula One Technical Department at the FIA. In this role, he chaired technical working groups, worked closely with teams and senior stakeholders, and helped guide the regulatory evolution of the championship. He was centrally involved in the introduction of the Halo safety device, a landmark development that has since saved lives and redefined safety standards in Formula One. This period gave Marcin deep insight into governance, risk management and decision-making under intense scrutiny.
Marcin later returned to team leadership as Executive Director of Renault Sport Racing and subsequently Executive Director and Team Principal licence holder of Alpine F1 Team, overseeing 750 staff across engineering, production and race operations. He led cultural change initiatives, strengthened cross-functional collaboration and guided the team to its first Grand Prix victory in 2021. Today, Marcin translates these experiences into practical lessons for business audiences, sharing clear frameworks for leadership, performance, innovation and resilience in high-pressure environments.
