Marcin Budkowski

With over 20 years of experience in Formula 1 – from an engineer to Team Principal of the Alpine F1 Team, Marcin Budkowski shares insights from a world where performance is measured in milliseconds.

A French-Polish engineer, Budkowski trained at École Polytechnique and built his career at the heart of motorsport, working with Prost GP, Ferrari and McLaren, as well as the FIA and Renault/Alpine. His unique journey taught him how to thrive in environments with high strategic, technological and human stakes.

Budkowski’s motorsport career began in 2001 at Prost Grand Prix as an aerodynamicist before being recruited by Ferrari F1, where he worked from 2002 to 2007, a period marked by multiple world titles alongside Michael Schumacher, under the leadership of Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, and Stefano Domenicali.

In 2007, he joined McLaren, where he held various responsibilities in aerodynamics, both at the headquarters and trackside. In 2012, he became Head of Aerodynamics, leading a team of over 100 people. In 2014, he joined the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) as Deputy to the F1 Race Director, Charlie Whiting, contributing to the strategic vision of the championship and leading the F1 Technical Department from 2017.

In 2018, he became Executive Director of Renault F1 Team. In charge of the Enstone site (UK, 750 staff), Budkowski oversaw all operations: design, engineering, production, and logistics. When the team was rebranded as Alpine F1, he became Team Principal, leading the team through the 2021 season to its first Grand Prix victory.

With a focus on leadership and excellence in a high-performance environment, Budkowski tailors his keynotes and Q+A sessions based on authentic examples, compelling behind-the-scenes stories, and practical parallels with strategic or managerial business challenges. Through his talks, Budkowski shares practical performance levers from F1 to help businesses enhance performance in three key areas: leadership, decision-making under pressure, and innovation in demanding environments.