Ivan Kodrnja has been working in the automotive industry since 2008, but his love for cars goes back much further. He has followed Formula 1 since childhood and has always been a Ferrari fan.
Ivan, how did your races on the screen begin?
– I bought a steering wheel, built myself a cockpit out of a wooden frame, bought a car seat and mounted it on my setup. That’s how I created my own little F1 corner where I unwind from the stress that builds up. – Ivan explains.
Is it just for fun, or has it grown into something more?
– Little by little, from pure fun to online racing in all kinds of leagues, I progressed. It started in the Croatian eSports league, then I got an invitation to race in the Bosnia and Herzegovina league, and eventually in the English RPM league, where I achieved my best results. In my first season, a colleague and I won the Constructors’ Championship. The team I raced for was Alfa, and despite a lot of technical issues, we still managed to succeed. – Ivan says.
Even though you’re a Ferrari fan, are you excited about Audi entering F1?
– I’ve been a Ferrari fan for as long as I can remember, and I probably will be until Audi enters the world of F1 — which should happen in 2026. – Ivan explains.
He would love to have a bit more time for his hobby, but with work and four children, that’s harder to manage today. He manages to squeeze in only a few hours of gaming per week.
Ivan has been working at Zubak Grupa since 2021, when he joined as a Service Advisor at the AutoZubak branch in Sesvete. Two years later, he was promoted to Deputy Head of Aftersales.
Ivan, you were part of Zubak Grupa even before 2021, right?
– From 2009 to 2013 I worked at what was then PZ Auto as a trainer for cross-sales and aftersales, which was part of the Zubak Group at the time, so I’ve practically always been loyal to the company.
PlayStation or PC?
– I currently have two PlayStation 5 consoles, and I also spend money on accessories like PS VR glasses, PS Portal, and so on. I’m actually planning to buy a new gaming PC right now, so I’m adding and subtracting to fit it into the household budget. – Ivan jokes.
His love for gaming started early, back in the mid-1980s on the legendary Commodore 64, and continued with the arrival of the first PlayStation — and it’s still going strong today. He explains that he actually spends most of his money on consoles, since games themselves aren’t a big expense. Each year he buys just one game — the new version of F1.
Do your kids play games with you?
– The kids range from 1 to 14 years old, and the older ones love playing games. The two youngest are still too small, but I’m sure they’ll join us soon. Sometimes we all play family games together, and when we get tired of that, we take out Monopoly or some other board game.
Still, despite his love for screens, he says he most enjoys spending time with his family outdoors or in restaurants enjoying good food. So gaming is a hobby for him, not a lifestyle. When he comes home from work and can’t switch off his mind, instead of going for a run or to the gym, he puts on his headphones, fires up F1, disconnects from everything, and races a few laps.
Colleagues about Ivan:
Ivan is the kind of colleague everyone would love to have — always ready to help. A colleague you can always rely on and from whom you can learn something new every day. Ivan, thank you. (Patrik Karnas)
A colleague who helped me a lot when I was getting to know the company, my job, and all the people I work with — always ready to help. Never negative, always constructive. A tough guy — “tougher than me.” A foodie who doesn’t eat lunch at work but speaks beautifully about food. (Ivan Košutić)
Kodrnja is hard to describe in just a few sentences because of his “size” — there is a huge choice of words and situations that could be written about him. All in all, he is extremely dedicated to his work and to every colleague at any moment, full of positive energy, loyal, and driven to improve every segment of this business for the benefit of the whole team and beyond. He is simply someone we can all truly rely on — and also the guy we can all laugh really, really hard with. (Tomislav Brkić)
