Hamilton shocked the F1 world last week with the news that he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season and signing a multi-year contract with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari from 2025.
The news sparked speculation that Hamilton's long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington could follow the seven-time world champion to Italy, with team principal Toto Wolff saying Hamilton would answered the question. racing news 365 It suggests that this topic “will need to be discussed by everyone in the coming months.”
It is not uncommon for drivers to take engineers and other senior technicians with them when changing teams, and in 1996 Michael Schumacher brought Benetton's principal engineers Ross Brawn and Rory Bryne to Ferrari. It is famous that he went there.
However, a team spokesperson confirmed that the two-year contract Hamilton signed last summer included a so-called “no-poach” clause to prevent the engineer from leaving. Racing News 365.
Officially known as the 'non-solicitation' clause, Hamilton cannot solicit any team members, including Bonnington, to accompany him to Ferrari.
The two have worked together since Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, with Bonnington guiding him to 81 of the team's 82 grand prix wins and all six titles.
His voice has become one of the most famous of all race engineers, with calls like “It's hammer time” and “Good luck, Lewis!”, and his only race win with Mercedes Bonnington came in 2019. He missed out on the Mexican Grand Prix. He also missed the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished third.
