Mike Elliott will not be Ferrari’s next Technical Director, as the Maranello team intends to follow McLaren’s model with the arrival of Loic Serra.
In recent weeks, there has been much talk about Ferrari’s alleged interest in Mike Elliott, former Mercedes Technical Director and the man responsible for the unsuccessful W13 and W14 projects. The English engineer is one of the very few senior figures available in the technical market, having completed the gardening leave required after his departure from the Silver Arrows last November.
However, despite recent speculations and a position still vacant after Enrico Cardile’s departure to Aston Martin as the new chief technical officer, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur does not seem to have shown much interest in Elliott, despite the latter’s extensive experience at the highest levels of Formula 1.
According to Formu1a.uno, Frederic Vasseur’s intention is to replicate McLaren’s technical structure, focusing not on a single prominent figure but rather distributing technical responsibilities across several individuals.
Thus, Loic Serra, newly appointed Head of Chassis Performance Engineering, will also assume the role of Technical Director, supported by Fabio Montecchi, Chief Designer, and Diego Tondi, who was officially promoted to Head of Aerodynamics just a few days ago.
Interestingly, Loic Serra will follow in the footsteps of another heavyweight, Pierre Waché, with both having started their respective Formula 1 careers at Michelin and then BMW Sauber, before taking different paths from 2010 onwards.
The two compatriots will have the opportunity to “compete” on the technical front as early as next season, although the 677 project is already well advanced under Enrico Cardile‘s team.
Source: f1ingenerale
