Engineer Bonnington not joining Hamilton at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s long-time title technologist Peter Bonnington will not beryllium joining nan seven-time champion astatine Ferrari adjacent season.

Bonnington, who has worked pinch Hamilton passim nan driver’s 12-year Mercedes career, has been promoted to caput of title engineering.

Also known arsenic 'Bono', and acquainted to Formula 1 audiences arsenic nan sound that speaks to Hamilton complete squad power during title weekends, Bonnington will proceed to enactment arsenic Hamilton’s title technologist for nan remainder of this season.

The 49-year-old will besides enactment arsenic a title technologist for 1 of Mercedes’ drivers adjacent season.

George Russell is nether statement to nan extremity of 2025 and is expected to beryllium joined successful nan squad adjacent twelvemonth by Mercedes’ Italian protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is racing successful Formula 2 this year.

Hamilton, who has won six world titles pinch Bonnington, will person to accommodate to moving pinch a caller title technologist erstwhile he joins Charles Leclerc astatine Maranello from 2025.

However, he will find acquainted faces astatine nan team.

Ferrari technologist Jock Clear, who now useful arsenic a driver coach for Leclerc, was connected Hamilton’s engineering squad successful 2013 and ‘14 earlier moving to Ferrari successful 2015.

Ferrari squad main Frederic Vasseur, who ran nan squad pinch which Hamilton won nan GP2 title successful 2006 earlier graduating to F1, is adjacent to Hamilton and was instrumental successful his joining nan team.

And Mercedes technologist Loic Serra, nan team’s erstwhile capacity director, is besides joining Ferrari later this twelvemonth arsenic caput of chassis capacity engineering.

It is not known whether Hamilton asked Bonnington to see moving to Ferrari pinch him, but nan technologist has a ‘non-poaching clause’ successful his statement that would person prevented him leaving moreover if he had.

Hamilton and squad main Toto Wolff will doubtless beryllium asked to reside nan business astatine this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, which sees nan athletics resume action aft its summertime break.

In his expanded role, Bonnington will proceed to study to Mercedes trackside engineering head Andrew Shovlin.

Shovlin, 50, oversees each engineering activities astatine nan title track, including title strategy and support arsenic good arsenic engineering.

Bonnington is specifically focused connected nan engineering of nan cars, which is nan process by which nan squad determine connected nan settings each driver will usage successful aerodynamic and mechanical position successful nan quest for optimum performance.

Red Bull return a akin attack successful their team, pinch Max Verstappen’s title technologist Gianpiero Lambiase besides nan world champions’ caput of title engineering.