Fabian Federer, during his time as a go-kart professional.

The South Tyrolean who raced with Max Verstappen

Fabian Federer from Ritten is probably only known to die-hard motorsport fans. The South Tyrolean works as an engine tuner for a go-kart team. Federer was once a racing driver himself and has an interesting resume. We spoke to him about his everyday work, his passion for motorsport, Formula 1 and his former teammate Max Verstappen.

September 17, 2023

Fabian Federer from Lengstein am Ritten has been involved in go-karting since he was 8 years old. He learned this in the Bozen Sill. He started with his father Josef Federer, who still supports him in his activities. Until two years ago he was a professional himself and drove for the SRP-Racing factory team. As a driver, Federer became, among other things, European champion twice (2011 and 2016) and vice world champion once (2016 in Sweden).

The now 32-year-old has now retired as a driver from the highest go-kart league. He has been working for his team as an engine tuner since 2021. “I've driven long enough. I like helping the young drivers and giving them tips. I supply engines for up to 12 drivers,” Federer explained SportNews. One of these drivers is South Tyrolean Moritz Ebner, who recently finished 13th at the World Championships.

Life as an engine tuner

But what exactly is Federer's job? “We buy D&M engines and tune them ourselves, within the regulations of course.” The Rittner briefly describes his everyday work: “I get up in the morning and go straight to the engine test bench. I have around 30 engines at home, I bring them all up to speed and test them. Then they are moved again. They have 52 hp and a displacement of 225cm. The karts reach a speed of around 150 km/h.”

Tinkering with engines is Fabian Federer's world.

Federer does it all at home in his garage. He also has a farm with 20 sheep and 2 Haflingers. “I take care of the engines four days a week and the farm one day (laughs). But I also travel a lot – across Europe. A total of around 4 races are on the program every year. Most in Italy, Germany, France and Sweden.”

Ex-teammate Verstappen

From 2011 to 2014, Federer was a factory driver at CRG. His teammate there was none other than Max Verstappen. “We raced against each other a lot. He was already brutally fast. Still, I hit him a few times (laughs). But he always had a big team behind him, especially his father Jos. As a guy, Max, who was 15 or 16 years old at the time, was a bit selfish. Just the way you have to be as a racing driver,” said Federer about Verstappen, who will soon become Formula 1 world champion for the third time.

“I even hit him a few times.” Fabian Federer on Max Verstappen

Federer also had a nice anecdote about Verstappen:
“Max always kept all secrets to himself and was very focused on himself. This is also because his father was ice cold towards him. He went through a tough school. I remember a race in Sarno (Campania). Back then, Max had an accident on the first lap because he wanted to overtake the leader. Jos was so angry afterwards that he immediately got in the car and drove home. He just left Max behind.”

And in the future?

Federer is extremely happy with his current job. “I love the go-kart world. Do I want to become a team manager one day? That would certainly tempt me. There have already been chances for that. But the risk was too great for me so far. This can quickly backfire financially. “I can work autonomously and enjoy a lot of freedom,” explained the passionate engine enthusiast.