Lewis Hamilton will reportedly be without a key component of six of his seven drivers’ titles at Ferrari after one of his most important allies has reportedly opted to stay at Mercedes.
The 39-year-old’s shock move was announced in February, and it appears the seven-time champion is still trying to tempt certain Mercedes staff to join him in Maranello.
After a slow start on track this season, Hamilton has added two wins to his now 84 race victories with the Silver Arrows.
He has won six of his seven drivers’ championships at Mercedes, so it is no surprise that he is making an effort to poach some of the key personnel who helped him become the most successful F1 driver of all time.
Perhaps the man at Mercedes closest to Hamilton during his years of unprecedented glory has been Peter Bonnington, often known as Bono.
As race engineer for the number 44 car, the 49-year-old has guided Hamilton throughout his Mercedes career, and was uncharacteristically emotional over team radio celebrating his return to winning ways at Silverstone earlier this year.
One of the first questions asked when Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari was announced was whether Bonnington would also make the jump to the Scuderia.
If such a move materialised, it could benefit both Hamilton and Ferrari, with the team’s engineers coming under criticism in recent years for poor communication and decision making.
However, as reported by Formu1a.uno, the legendary engineer will be staying with the Brackley team in a major boost for Mercedes.
A key reason for Bonnington’s decision is said to be the impression that likely Hamilton replacement Kimi Antonelli has made, who is ‘increasingly convincing in testing’, including sessions where Bonnington operated as his engineer.
This news comes despite Hamilton’s best efforts to convince his closest colleague, with the Italian site reporting: “[Bonnington] was extremely impressed by the qualities of the young Italian driver [Antonelli] and is now in pole position to become his track engineer.”
“This has also made him desist from considering the possibility of joining Ferrari, alongside Lewis Hamilton who actually tried until the very end to bring him with him to Maranello.”
The opportunity to work with and guide a rookie provides an interesting departure from Bonnington’s working relationship with Hamilton, who arrived at Mercedes already a world champion with 21 race wins to his name.
