Lewis Hamilton is not the only figure moving from Mercedes to Ferrari
Driver movement is not the only transfer news in the Formula 1 world at the moment. The decision by Adrian Newey to leave Red Bull in early 2025 has sparked speculation about where the sport’s greatest designer might land next.
But the team mentioned most often as a potential destination for Newey — Ferrari — is making other leadership moves, signing two key figures away from Mercedes.
Ferrari announced on Monday two additions to their leadership team in Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio. Both individuals will join the Scuderia upon departing Mercedes.
Serra will join Ferrari as their Head of Chassis Performance Engineering. In this role Serra will take charge of “various areas in Maranello, including Track Engineering, Aero Development, Aero Operations and Vehicle Performance,” according to a statement released by the team confirming the moves. Serra started his F1 career working for BMW-Sauber before joining Mercedes, where he worked most recently as the team’s Performance Director.
D’Ambrosio joins Ferrari as the team’s Deputy Team Principal, reporting directly to Frederic Vasseur. D’Ambrosio will also lead the team’s junior program as the Head of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. He was a driver until 2020, and competed in 20 F1 grands prix during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
His career moved to the other side of pit wall after he retired following the 2019-2020 Formula E Series, joining ROKiT Venturi Racing as Deputy Team Principal. He joined Mercedes for the 2023 season as the team’s Driver Development Director.
Both Serra and D’Ambrosio will join Mercedes in October following a brief gardening period.
The movement of management personnel has been a theme simmering throughout the paddock in recent weeks. Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix both Zak Brown of McLaren and Toto Wolff of Mercedes outlined how the Newey departure was leading to an increase in the number of Red Bull resumes being sent to rival teams. “Zak is absolutely correct, we are seeing Red Bull CVs through all of the levels,” said the Mercedes boss in Miami.
“But I would say this isn’t anything out of the extraordinary,” added Wolff. “People change teams and want to change environment.”
Following the Miami Grand Prix Vasseur was asked about the war of words in his post-race comments. But while the Ferrari boss brushed those questions aside, he did note that many people were interviewing with many teams
“We have, we have a huge amount of work on the table and I don’t want to use my energy and my time, my budget to fight with my colleagues. That’s not my approach at all. And I won’t go on this way,” said Vasseur to the media, including SB Nation, on Sunday night following the Miami Grand Prix.
When pressed on whether team members from Mercedes were interviewing with Ferrari, Vasseur did add this tidbit. “A lot of people from all the teams are doing a lot of interviewing in Maranello ... including Mercedes.”
Now we have a better idea of who was interviewing with Ferrari.
Along with Lewis Hamilton, of course, who will move from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
