From interpreting data to choosing the right moment to share the findings

We spoke to Lucia Romero Gomez to explore her journey and her role as a performance engineer at Hyundai Motorsport. Coming from a non-motorsport background, her passion for racing started in 2005 when Fernando Alonso began winning F1 races and gained fame in Spain. This growing interest led her to shift her academic focus from medicine to engineering during high school.

While studying, Lucia participated in the Formula Student program, which helped her gain more perspective on the sport’s technical aspects. With internship and work opportunities in circuit racing and rallying coming her way, she encountered more options in motorsports that contributed to her growth before becoming a performance engineer.

What roles did you undertake on your path to becoming a performance engineer?

Before becoming a performance engineer, I took a different path from other engineers. I have held different roles, such as data engineering, team coordinator, and sporting coordinator, which guided me to choose this path.

When I joined Hyundai Motorsport, I initially started working on the homologation side of the Rally2 project and then moved on to the WRC2 program. So, before working as a performance engineer, I worked through many different roles, and I realised that moving up a ladder would also require a step forward on the technical side. For me, performance engineering was the right choice because it’s a role where you can go deeper into things and analyse everything quite objectively.

Can you describe a typical day for a rally performance engineer?

The preparations and targets are slightly different for each event, whether it is to support a test or a race. Our job is divided into: preparing for the event, supporting during the event and analysing data after the event.

During the preparation of a test, we ensure that all the necessary instrumentation we need to obtain data for our analysis is in the car.  If special preparations are required to oversee the test target, we make those arrangements. Then, we review the test plan with engineers, drivers, and managers to determine if we need to work on something more precisely and improve it quickly.

The most stressful time is during the event, but it’s also a fun part for me. When I’m at an event, some unique energy keeps the team going, especially when everyone is targeting the same goal. We focus on working on the information and the feedback we get from the driver to help him achieve his goal – that could be driving techniques, car setup, car balance or anything that can help us gain those tenths of a second. One crucial element is communication, along with the right amount of information. It has to be clear among us, the driver, test engineer, and rally engineer. This helps teams analyse any particular issues and provide the necessary support.

Post-event, there is a lot of data to analyse thoroughly, as we don’t get time to analyse it fully during the event due to time constraints. Once the event is over, we have time to focus more on digging deeper into the data, which helps us incorporate all the key data for the next event.

What challenges do you face at your job during a rally?

Rallying is a mix of challenge and excitement. It is an uncontrolled environment with multiple stages, each with different profiles within the same event.  Road conditions vary at each stage, and whether a driver is first on the road or last, every pass could lead to different experiences. If the driver changes their driving line, it introduces a new variable that performance engineers must consider. Similarly, this occurs in circuit racing, but in rallying, it makes the job more engaging due to the numerous variables involved.

Many factors need to be considered when reading and analysing data. For example, a driver may have a stage that is run multiple times and needs to save tyres, so it is crucial to consider the entire picture, which can be pretty challenging. Additionally, communication is the key – whether receiving accurate information or providing the quickest actionable feedback.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The fact that everyone on the team is passionate about the sport and how each talent and effort is combined to make magic happen is truly rewarding. We work in an environment where we can change a gearbox in just a few minutes, service, or do things, which would not be the case in the ordinary world. I find achieving what initially seems impossible more rewarding, and we make it happen.

The main goal is winning, which is what we are addicted to.

What do you think rally fans would be most surprised to learn about your job?

This sport does appear to be rocket science, and you may be surprised to know how much emotions and the human side influence the team’s performance. As an engineer, I’m more focused on data and analytics. However, when it comes to interpreting data, it’s not just about the numbers but also the human element, such as stress, personal background, or emotions. I think this is something people will be very surprised to learn.

Also, choosing the right moment to share the findings is essential. For example, if there’s a reliability issue, the priority will not be communicating that the driver should improve the breaking but making sure the car is back to life. There are days when I focus on things that may not be the team’s requirements in those specific moments, and so I have to be humble enough to understand the team’s priority. I think it’s the most exciting part, and in a rally, it’s pretty critical.

In rallying, things can quickly change and become critical. During the road section of a rally, drivers get extremely busy. We keep the communications going, but they have to work on their pace notes and you can’t stress or overload them with numbers and figures between stages. I feel there’s an essential human element involved in finding the balance!