Mercedes promoted Peter Bonnington to ‘Head of Race Engineering’ which ended all claims of him moving to Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton. Following the news, the seven-time World Champion was disappointed. He would have liked to continue with their partnership but also admitted to not having any hard feelings towards Bonnington for not following him to Maranello.
In an interview ahead of the Dutch GP, Hamilton stated that moving to Italy wouldn’t be right for Bonnington’s personal life. “I would have loved to have continued with Bono, of course,” he said. “I can only imagine it’s not, him and his partner, it impacts both of them, so they have to do whatever’s right for him.”
Hamilton did not talk to Bonnington about moving to Ferrari and insisted that he was happy for the 49-year-old. He wanted what was best for the man, who had been the voice in his ear during races for the last 11 years.
“Where he is in his life, he has to make the best call for what would be best for him and his family. That doesn’t change anything between us,” said Hamilton.
‼️More from Sir Lewis Hamilton on Bono :
“I would have loved to have continued with Bono, of course. We have a great relationship. You heard in Silverstone, that he’s like a brother. But I’m really, really, really happy for him.”
“Like for me, it’s just about people doing what’s… pic.twitter.com/FlXc3CdZKd
— sim (@sim3744) August 22, 2024
Not working together would be hard on both, according to Hamilton. But they would always remain a part of each other’s lives. Happy that Bonnington is getting to grow within Mercedes, Hamilton also revealed how they joked about moving to Ferrari together a few years ago.
Bonnington’s new role at Mercedes
Bonnington will be the Head of Race Engineering at Mercedes but will continue with his trackside duties as confirmed by Mercedes earlier this week.
He could be the race engineer for George Russell, or Kimi Antonelli — the Silver Arrows’ next signing. However, the latter is more likely than the two.
Bonnington worked alongside Antonelli at a Spa Francorchamps test conducted earlier this year and was impressed at the way he drove the car around the circuit. Considering this, perhaps he could be the ‘voice in the ear’ for Antonelli if and when he joins the team.
