Simone Resta resigns from Haas technical director role amid possible return to Ferrari

Before the launch of the new Ferrari-powered VF-24, 53-year-old engineer Simone Resta seems to have decided to leave the American team where he arrived in January 2021. The limited development work on the VF-23, which later resulted in a change in aerodynamic philosophy from the United States Grand Prix, must have led to a change of course. The Italian might return to Ferrari or explore other opportunities, such as a return to Hinwil, where he had many admirers.

The news is bound to make waves: Simone Resta is leaving the technical direction of Haas. While the VF-24 is being prepared for the launch of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the 53-year-old engineer from Imola has reportedly decided to end his relationship with the team led by Gunther Steiner, which began on January 1, 2021.

Simone Resta, who had a contract with Ferrari, had been “loaned” to the American team when the customer team set up its design headquarters within the Maranello’s Sporting Management, in the building overlooking the Fiorano track, which includes the simulator department and the area for indoor pit stop tests.

Evidently, Simone no longer found the motivation in Haas, considering that the team finished last in the Constructors’ Championship in 2023, despite showing interesting performance peaks that demonstrated a potential for the VF-23 greater than what was actually seen. The car with the tanks above the sidepods, derived from Ferrari concepts, had not been developed during the year, only to show a significant update package in the home race in Austin that did not yield the results the team’s leaders expected.

According to rumors, Simone Resta would have preferred to spend the development budget on the initial version of the VF-23, often fast in single laps but inconsistent in race pace, suffering from abnormal tire wear, similar to the Ferrari cars. Gene Haas, on the other hand, had requested alignment of the car with the winning principles of Red Bull, and the result, considering the investment, did not pay off. It’s easy to think, therefore, that Simone Resta did not appreciate the fundamental choices, and with a technician market open in view of 2026 when F1 will adopt new, smaller, and lighter cars, he may have decided to change course, even without having a clear alternative.

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The Italian entered Formula 1 in 1998 with Minardi in research and development and joined Ferrari in 2001, where he grew in responsibilities until becoming the chief designer in 2014, promoted by President Sergio Marchionne. In 2018, he moved to Alfa Romeo as the technical director of the Hinwil team before being recalled to Maranello in August 2019, where, in reality, he had been placed in a more secluded position by Mattia Binotto. Then came the adventure at Haas, which could have brought greater satisfaction.

It will be interesting to see if the Italian engineer will start a new chapter at Ferrari or if he will respond to the calls that could come from Audi, as he had gained several admirers at the Swiss headquarters near Zurich.