Former Ferrari driver believes high turnover of F1 technicians is driven by ego. This year, in addition to the F1 driver market, negotiations among engineers have also taken center stage.

This year, in addition to the Formula 1 driver market, negotiations among engineers have also taken center stage. It all started when Adrian Newey announced that he would be leaving Red Bull, sparking immediate speculation about his future, despite the designer repeatedly stating that he first wants to take a long break. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the RB20 stopped performing well around that time, and on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, world champion Max Verstappen lamented the departure of the chief technical officer.

However, according to Italian former Formula One driver Ivan Capelli, who participated in 98 Grands Prix, debuting on 6 October 1985, it is too early to see the impact of Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull:

“Today’s cars either work or they don’t, with a very high level of reliability, and more than ever before, what is studied today will be implemented on the track after many months.” – he explained during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza – “Therefore, in the immediate term, the departure of an engineer from a team, and I’m thinking of the cases of Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile from Ferrari, is not a problem, but in the long run, it could become one if an adequate countermeasure is not found,” the expert explained to InNetweek.

However, in the series of negotiations for replacements, an extremely human factor comes into play, according to Ivan Capelli: “Then there is also an aspect that goes beyond the purely technical realm. Formula 1 is entrenched in a fundamental mindset: there are acquired positions that, one way or another, must be maintained. Competition can change this state of affairs, but in the end, that must be the value on the field.” – concluded the former Formula 1 driver, who raced for Scuderia Ferrari in the 1992 championship.