I've got it. Jurgen Klopp is quitting football to become the Ferrari team principal, and Hamilton just couldn't turn that down. Even more bizarre theory. Was there ever an official announcement on how long Newey's contract was extended at RBR? Did Ferrari finally nail him down? I'm totally clutching at straws, but I hope it's Klopp.
Good point about Newey IF they got him and he wanted to work over here , that shouldn’t be a problem as they built a facility just so John Barnard could work from the UK
I too think there is more to the story than we know. Newey would be interesting but I somehow doubt it. Likely a few from Merc will follow Lewis. 2026 is the year for us fans to watch out for. LeClerc will have to up his performance, fast but weak. We can not underestimate Vasseur either. Let's see what else unfolds.
Agree, just going back to some earlier rumours though. Hope it doesn't turn out to be a damp squid. My gut feel is that Lewis has engaged on this year and probably feels stale, lacking enthusiasm. Realises a red car will lift his mood.
Until like he realizes he driving an Italian motor that's likely to leave him stranded at the worst possible time. Better than an Austin Montego though, so there's that.
Imagine being able to say you have built title winning cars for Williams, McLaren and Ferrari though. Oh, and for a pop company.
If Ferrari could give Hamilton a car that could truly compete with Red Bull I would take a serious interest I F1again Just imagine Hamilton and the Brat neck and neck until the final race and someone crashes (but not hurt) and Hamilton get the chance to change tyres but the brat cant, the race restarts and Hamilton completes the overtake on the last corner and wins the title by one second on the track and one point in the championship The Red Bull meltdown would be epic
Don`t forget the race director fails to let lapped cars pass the safety car to un-lap themselves. What an absolute injustace tht was.
So looking back through old articles, Fred Vasseur was talking about drastic changes coming to the engineering team at the Scuderia in an article at the end of last summer. One of the parts in that was talking about the struggles to get people to move from the UK and having to not only convince them of the move, but also their families, and how if you can lure one then more will follow. So whatever they are doing, they're looking to recruit more engineering staff from the UK. Who and when is a whole other question. Has there been any notable moves that I have missed recently. This suggests there is a change in philosophy coming. Hopefully bringing in some new race engineers for a start.
Remember reading a long time ago Rory Byrne was very reluctant to go and live in Italy to work ,but just read this ---Rory Byne to help with Ferrari team as they prepare their 2024 car. Byrne was chief designer at Ferrari from 1996 to 2006 before taking up a consultant role he holds to this day and has reportedly been spotted at Maranello offering his experience to his successors. According to a report, Byrne has been helping with the design of the 2024 car, codenamed project 676, as the team approach their launch date of February 13.
I think I read recently that Ferrari had built him some kind of workspace in the UK so he didn't have to live in Italy! Maybe they built a decent sized facility to house a few engineers in the UK?
I sincerely doubt even ferrari would allow a silo of British away from marenello. the politics would be massive to undermine and get rid of it even if supported from on high.
Ferrari did poach a senior Merc engineer last year. I saw this article the other day saying that he had opposed the 2022 concept and linking that to Lewis's exit. Hardly a reliable source, but maybe true. https://racingnews365.com/key-factor-behind-hamiltons-mercedes-f1-exit-revealed
I know Ferrari built something for John Barnard . John Barnard Courted by Ferrari in 1987, Barnard was able to dictate his terms to the Italian company - he was given $2 million and his own design center - Ferrari Guildford Technical Office - in England. It was from here that he masterminded his next technical breakthrough - the semi-automatic gearbox.
I lived in Italy for 4 years, absolutely loved it. I would have stayed for life but other events got in the way. If you don't try, you don't know.
She just isn't as pretty as last season I'm afraid. Drop the red on the wings and fill in the silly lines with red and you have a stunner. . Hopefully she's quick!
