Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes race engineer Pete Bonnington has been promoted to move of race engineering and can stick with the Formulation 1 group in 2025.
Bonnington will dovetail his new position along with his current race engineering duties for Hamilton till the top of the season.
A Mercedes spokesperson has confirmed the 49-year-old will then keep on with the group in 2025 as Hamilton departs to Ferrari, turning into the race engineer for one in every of Mercedes’ two drivers subsequent yr.
Bonnington grew to become Hamilton’s race engineer in 2013 when the latter joined from McLaren, having beforehand labored with Michael Schumacher on the Brackley-based squad.
Hamilton and Bonnington went on to forge a formidable partnership on the group, with Bonnington in Hamilton’s nook all through his six world championships with the Silver Arrows.
As Hamilton introduced his shock swap to Ferrari at the beginning of this yr, questions had been raised on whether or not or not his trusted ally would be a part of the seven-time world champion in Maranello, however that door has now closed.
Peter Bonnington, Senior Race Engineer, Mercedes-AMG F1 Staff
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
Hamilton will nonetheless encounter acquainted faces in Italy, with former Mercedes engineer Loic Serra set to hitch the Scuderia as Head of Chassis Efficiency Engineering in October.
Ferrari group boss Fred Vasseur additionally enjoys an awesome relationship with the 39-year-old from their time at junior formulation outfit ART Grand Prix.
Hamilton will even be re-united at Ferrari along with his former Mercedes efficiency engineer Jock Clear, who labored with Hamilton in his first two years at Mercedes.
Bonnington final joined Hamilton on a grand prix podium at July’s British Grand Prix, the place Hamilton took a long-awaited first win in two and a half years.
“I wouldn’t say crying, I had one thing in my eye,” Bonnington, nicknamed Bono, informed Sky Sports activities concerning the emotionally charged residence win.
“It’s an emotional one. It’s been a protracted, very long time, and he and I’ve been working onerous attempting to get again there. Child steps, however it’s taken quite a lot of them to date.”
Mercedes has received three of the final 4 grands prix – with two wins for Hamilton and one for team-mate George Russell – because the 2024 F1 season will get again below means this weekend at Zandvoort.
