After several hours of speculation and confusion, the answer has finally emerged: Ferrari have revealed the identity of the new performance engineer working with Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. The seven-time World Champion, who joined the Scuderia for the 2025 season, had raised eyebrows following the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps when he mentioned a new figure in his engineering team, someone coming from a “former team” of his, with whom he was already starting to build rapport.
The British driver finished in seventh place at the Spa circuit, just behind Williams Racing driver Alexander Albon, after a challenging race weekend that saw him excluded from Q1 on Saturday and forced to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane. Despite this, Lewis Hamilton showed strong pace during the race and offered a few insights into the changes within his Ferrari crew during his post-race interviews, which further fueled curiosity about who had joined his side.
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix was marked by extremely difficult weather conditions that led to long delays and disrupted the event schedule. Nonetheless, the Ferrari team managed to return to the podium, thanks to an impressive performance by Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver was not quite able to match the pace of the two front-running McLaren drivers, but he excelled in defending his position in a tight battle with Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen. The Dutchman made several attempts to overtake, but in the end had to concede to a highly competitive and in-form Charles Leclerc. This strong result allowed Scuderia Ferrari to solidify their position in second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings.
Lewis Hamilton’s race, while ultimately fruitful, was more complex. Starting from the pit lane due to setup changes and after a disappointing qualifying session, Hamilton quickly advanced through the backmarkers in the opening stages of the race as the track gradually dried. A perfectly timed tyre change later in the race allowed the British driver to join the fight behind the leading group of Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Alexander Albon. He remained behind that pack until the chequered flag.
Who is Lewis Hamilton’s new engineer at Ferrari?
As Lewis Hamilton continues to adapt to the SF-25 single-seater and settles into life at Ferrari, a new name has emerged among the engineers working directly with the British driver. According to information published by Autosport, the new arrival is serving as a performance engineer, and his name is Johannes Hatz.
Johannes Hatz comes from a motorsport-oriented background and is the son of a former Porsche executive. He previously worked for both Porsche and Audi before entering the world of Formula 1. His initial experience in the sport was with the Faenza-based team—previously known as AlphaTauri and now competing as Visa Cash App RB—where he held various engineering positions.
Johannes Hatz joined Scuderia Ferrari in January 2024 and has now officially taken on a new role supporting Lewis Hamilton. He replaces Riccaro Corte, who has been reassigned to a different position within the Ferrari technical structure.
While the exact details of Johannes Hatz’s responsibilities are still limited, the role of performance engineer is a vital one in Formula 1, focused on maximising a driver’s output through data analysis, vehicle dynamics, and real-time performance monitoring throughout the race weekend. This strategic shift could be key as Lewis Hamilton continues to refine his connection with the Ferrari SF-25 and aims to achieve consistent podium finishes in the second half of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship.
With this latest personnel adjustment, Ferrari signals its continued efforts to fine-tune its support system around Lewis Hamilton and improve its competitive edge against McLaren, Red Bull Racing, and Mercedes in the ongoing Constructors’ Championship battle.
