Two key Fred Vasseur hires officially arrive as Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari dream team takes shape as

Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes colleagues officially start work at Ferrari

The capture of Hamilton was followed in May by Ferrari announcing the double signing of Serra and d’Ambrosio, the former Marussia and Lotus-Renault driver, with both arriving from Mercedes at the start of October. Both signings, however, are not directly linked to Hamilton’s upcoming arrival.

Serra had originally been appointed to the role of head of chassis performance engineering, reporting to technical director Enrico Cardile.

With Cardile announcing in July that he will join Aston Martin in F1 2025, however, Serra found himself promoted before he even started work at Maranello as Ferrari confirmed last month that he will serve as technical director (chassis).

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Serra, who is understood to have shared Hamilton’s reservations over the design concept pursued by Mercedes under former technical director Mike Elliott in 2022/23, will lead a seven-man technical structure.

Meanwhile, d’Ambrosio has joined Ferrari as deputy team principal to Fred Vasseur and is set to focus on the development of young drivers in the team’s junior academy alongside his managerial duties.

Vasseur is quoted by Italian publication Corriere della Serra as saying of d’Ambrosio’s arrival: “I need someone who knows how to say no to me, who will also kick me when needed.”

The arrival of both men comes after the first design details of Ferrari’s F1 2025 car – codenamed Project 677 – emerged over the summer break.

Reports from Italy in August claimed Ferrari are to pursue a new design concept for the final year of the current regulations in F1 2025, with a revised wheelbase and a switch to pullrod front suspension on the horizon.

The changes to the suspension are thought to be directly influenced by the impending arrival of Hamilton, whose driving style is closer in nature to that of F1 2025 team-mate Charles Leclerc than current incumbent Carlos Sainz, helping to facilitate the move.

A pullrod front suspension, currently used by the likes of Red Bull and McLaren is thought to bring a major aerodynamic benefit by enhancing airflow at the front of the car and specifically the complex underbody, which generates a high proportion of a car’s overall downforce under the current ground-effect rules.

Ferrari’s suspension design has been constantly scrutinised throughout the ground-effect era, with the Scuderia and customer outfit Haas the only teams still persisting with a pullrod rear suspension.

Every other team on the grid competes with a pushrod rear suspension layout, with Cardile telling media including PlanetF1.com at the launch of the current SF-24 in February that Ferrari, at least under his technical leadership, found no significant differences between having a pullrod or pushrod suspension at the rear of the car.

Hamilton has grown increasingly emotional over recent weeks as the end of his Mercedes career has come into view, admitting he found it “very surreal” at last month’s Italian Grand Prix as Mercedes confirmed teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli as his successor for F1 2025.

He told media including PlanetF1.com after qualifying at Monza: “I’ve known [about Antonelli’s promotion] for ages.

“I knew it would be announced this morning. I definitely woke up and it was very, very, very surreal to just have, at least officially confirmed, my seat is going that I held onto for so long.

“So it was quite emotional this morning, but I’m really, really happy for Kimi and for this team – I know Kimi is going to do a great job.”

Asked if he is becoming more emotional as the races tick by towards the end of his Mercedes career, he added: “It’s been there all year. Every single race you turn up.

“I love my team so much. We have been through a hell of a lot together so it will be emotional every single race.

“Because every race we do is the last time at that particular place. Every race we get closer and closer to the last time I’ll be in that Mercedes.

“It’s going to be tough, but my focus is just to do my best job for the team and to finish on a high.”

Hamilton elaborated on his emotions at the end of the Italian GP weekend, with the final European-based race of the F1 2024 season marking the last time he would use his room within Mercedes’ own hospitality unit on a race weekend.

“Leaving Monza, it hit me that it was the last European race this year,” he wrote in a social media post. “The last time I’ll be in my room in engineering that’s been my home for 12 years.

“This is such a unique time in my life, one that continues to bring out a lot of emotions. What I feel the most is pride and gratitude.

“The memories will last forever, as will the memories I make next year.”