Mercedes makes ULTIMATE move on Lewis Hamilton to prevent Ferrari from poaching Bono and Andrew Shovlin

The Mercedes team has brought out its wildcard and has stopped Lewis Hamilton from poaching personnel to Ferrari with this ingenious clause

Mercedes makes ULTIMATE move on Lewis Hamilton to prevent Ferrari from poaching Bono and Andrew Shovlin

Andrew Shovlin, Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnigton (Via IMAGO)

The news of Lewis Hamilton breaking up his alliance with Mercedes had shaken up the F1 world; Mercedes camp was not expecting such a move to be made by their seven-time championship-winning driver. Further details of his departure to Maranello have been leaked, suggesting he can’t bring any Mercedes engineers to Ferrari.

After the announcement of the shock news that the Briton would be repping up the red outfit from 2025 onwards, it was anticipated that a few of Hamilton’s colleagues would be following him to the Italian squad. It is now revealed that a ‘non-poaching cause’ was included in the seven-time champion’s contract, which disallows him to take any of his close members to his new hire, according to the reports from Motorsports.com.Italy.

https://youtu.be/XVe1PBdhfGc?si=rGEAqqxsI0TxMNQR

It was predicted that the Briton would be taking his race engineer Peter Bonnington and trackside race operations manager Andrew Shovlin to Ferrari with him. However, with a twist in the story, his contract stops him from bringing any former colleagues to the Scuderia; and the future of some key personnel is in question.

Why did Lewis Hamilton leave Mercedes?

It was a highly speculated move for the past two years, that the seven-time champion could move to Ferrari. However, it was not possible earlier due to his prior commitments with the German manufacturer.

Lewis Hamilton being congratulated by Ferrari after Mercedes failed to show up
Lewis Hamilton being congratulated by Ferrari after Mercedes failed to show up

On the other hand, from the onset of the 2023 season, Fred Vasseur took the leadership role at Ferrari who was also Hamilton’s team principal back in the GP2 series in 2006. Talks began between Ferrari President John Elkann and Hamilton and he was persuaded to join the prancing horses, leaving behind his alliance with Mercedes.

From the 2025 season onwards, Hamilton would be seen repping the Italian outfit after a 12-year stint at his previous employer. He would aim for his 8th title and finish his career with the elusive crown attached to his name.

In case you missed it: