Sven Hugo Smeets (born 12 May 1972) is a Belgian

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

engineer. He is currently the sporting director at the

Williams Racing Williams Racing, legally known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited and competing as Atlassian Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Patrick Head. The team w ...

team.

Career

Smeets began his motorsport career in 1993 as a co-driver in rallying and became the navigator for

Freddy Loix Freddy Loix (born 10 November 1970) is a Belgian rally driver. Career Loix's career in motor sport began in karting at the age of 15. In 1990, he bought his first rally car, a Lancia Delta group N, though he soon progressed to a Mitsubishi Ga ...

in 1995, with whom he achieved numerous successes with whilst competing in the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

. 2005 saw the Belgian join Citroën as co-driver for

François Duval François Duval (born 18 November 1980) is a Belgium, Belgian rally (sports), rally driver. Career 1999–2004 Francois Duval is the son of former rally driver Rene Duval. With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Chal ...

, together winning the season's closing rally in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. In 2008 Smeets made the decision to end his stint as a co-driver, but remained in rallying and subsequently became Team Manager for

Citroën Racing Citroën Racing is a motorsport brand and department of the French automobile manufacturer, Citroën, ''Automobiles Citroën''. It is most notable for entering the Citroën World Rally Team into the World Rally Championship until 2019, thus helpi ...

, in a period which the French outfit claimed several Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships. As new team manager he combined his duties in the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships with also becoming the Team Manager for the Peugeot Sport LMP1 programme. Seeking a new challenge Smeets moved to Germany to become Team Manager for

Volkswagen Motorsport The Volkswagen R Motorsport was a works rally team of the Germany, German car manufacturer Volkswagen, who competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and Dakar Rally. The team started competing in WRC in 1978 World Rally Championship season ...

in 2012, ahead of their debut World Rally Championship entry in 2013. 2013 was a record breaking year for the German outfit, in which they secured the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships on first attempt and won 10 of the 13 rallies entered, hence ending Citroën's period of dominance. The team's unrivalled success continued over the next three years, winning Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Smeets continued his career at Volkswagen Motorsport, becoming Motorsport Director in 2016, a role he held for five years. In 2021 he left VW and joined Formula One team Williams Racing as Sporting Director, reuniting with his old boss

Jost Capito Jost Capito (born 29 September 1958) is a German former motorsport manager. Capito has been employed in various roles during his career, with his most successful role being Director of Motorsport at Volkswagen Motorsport, Volkswagen. Motorspo ...

. In his current role, Smeets is responsible for the sporting governance and representation of the team in all sporting matters related to the FIA, other teams, and motorsport associations. He plays a key role in supporting the team's drivers, including being responsible for the Williams Racing Driver Academy, as well as having overall accountability for the race team.

References

External links

Profile at ewrc-results.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smeets, Sven Living people 1972 births World Rally Championship co-drivers Belgian rally co-drivers