At the dawn of his new adventure with Aston Martin, Enrico Cardile has shared his views on Ferrari and on what he defines as the “British” approach to Formula 1. The former Ferrari technical director spoke about his first months at Aston Martin and the different mentality he has encountered across the Channel. After spending his entire professional life in Maranello, the Italian engineer has now moved to Silverstone, joining forces with legendary designer Adrian Newey. Together, they are tasked with elevating Lawrence Stroll’s team to the top of the F1 grid, with the valuable driving talent of Fernando Alonso as a key asset.
The Aston Martin project is an ambitious one. The brand-new Silverstone facility—an advanced, state-of-the-art engineering campus—offers a solid foundation to build a winning team. Lawrence Stroll’s goal is clear: to fight for victories. The next major technical regulation change in 2026 represents the ideal opportunity for the team to climb the ranks in Formula 1 and challenge the established leaders.
The team leading this project is truly exceptional. Adrian Newey serves as the jewel in Aston Martin’s crown, heading a world-class technical structure that has now welcomed Enrico Cardile, who previously held the role of technical director at Ferrari for the past two seasons. From the Italian engineer comes an interesting reflection on the working methods of British teams—and on what he believes is one of their most significant strengths compared to Italian ones.
Cardile, Aston Martin and the key difference with Ferrari
Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Enrico Cardile shared his thoughts about his new role at Aston Martin: “I’m really excited about this new adventure; it’s fantastic. It’s a huge challenge, there’s a lot of work to do, but also the opportunity to shape an entire team. We have everything we need to win. Surprisingly, I can say that I love living in England, despite the weather.”
He went on to explain the contrast between his time in Maranello and his new experience at Silverstone: “Between Ferrari and Aston Martin, I can sense some clear differences. I can’t share too many details right now. On one hand, Ferrari is a well-established company, with highly refined processes and systems that have been developed over decades. At Aston Martin, we are still working to reach that level, and there’s a lot of optimization still to be done. What’s certain, though, is that there’s a noticeable difference between the Italian way of reacting to problems and the British way.”
According to Enrico Cardile, the key lies in emotional balance: “In England, people are less emotional, and I think that’s a real strength. It’s one thing to have passion for what you do, and another to let emotions take over when you’re under pressure or when problems arise. Here, people stay calm, focused, and they don’t lose sight of the final goal,” he concluded.
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