Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari is arguably the biggest driver transfer in F1 history. There are many theories as to why he is leaving, with both Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stating that he needed something new at this stage in his career. But having spent a decade in Mercedes means Hamilton has forged some strong ties with the members. Now that he will drive for Ferrari from 2025 onwards, will he bring someone along from Brackley?
The one person who is confirmed to be leaving along with Hamilton is Loic Serra. Earlier this week, ‘a key reason‘ behind Hamilton leaving Mercedes came to light.
#F1 | According to ‘trusted technical sources’ from RacingNews365, Loic Serra’s departure has played a key role in Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Ferrari.
Loic Serra was the Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes before being poached by Ferrari for the 2025 campaign. A… pic.twitter.com/P66rhlsLnp
— deni (@fiagirly) February 1, 2024
Serra like, Hamilton, has been in Mercedes for a long time but will move to Ferrari in 2025. RacingNews365 reports that amidst Mercedes’ downfall post-2022, the only person who saw eye to eye with Hamilton was Serra. It became evident that they were not going back to the top anytime soon, prompting Serra to leave.
With Hamilton following the Frenchman to Maranello, other engineers are also rumored to follow them. But will Hamilton’s trusted right-hand man in races, Peter Bonnington leave Mercedes?
Will Peter Bonnington AKA Bono follow Lewis Hamilton?
Peter Bonnington became Hamilton’s race engineer at the beginning of the 2013 season. He was the constant voice in Hamilton’s ear when the latter won six world titles with Mercedes and played a huge part in his success. They have a strong bond, with ‘Bono’ coming up with the famous, “It’s hammer time” catchphrase.
Currently, there seems to be no concrete link between Bonnington and Ferrari. As things stand, their iconic run together will end with the culmination of the 2024 season, which will be Hamilton’s last at Mercedes.
According to Giuliano Duchessa, Bonnington is a figure that will be very warmly welcomed by Ferrari.
| Lewis Hamilton will bring several Mercedes engineers with him to Ferrari.
Peter “Bono” Bonnington would be welcomed by Maranello.
[@GiulyDuchessa] pic.twitter.com/Gz1lo6EYE4
— formularacers (@formularacers_) February 2, 2024
Bonnington, like the majority of the fanbase, was shocked when he got to know about Hamilton leaving. As revealed by Sports Illustrated, a baffled Bonnington asked Wolff it wasn’t ‘April Fool’s Day’ when the Austrian boss told him about Hamilton’s exit.
Other Mercedes engineers expected to leave
Morale at Mercedes will be at a low, following Hamilton’s departure. Him leaving is a clear sign that he doesn’t trust the team’s immediate future and the engineers too, will realize that. The top guns will want to contribute to a winning team.
So far, it isn’t clear who will follow Serra and Hamilton. But the coming months will really test Toto Wolff’s leadership skills, as he looks to hold on to the men and women who gave them so much success not very long ago.
