Ferrari team director Frederic Vasseur believes Lewis Hamilton’s arrival will help attract F1 engineers from other teams. With more than half of its F1 teams based in the UK, Ferrari is among the minority of teams established elsewhere in the world.

Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy has been the company’s home throughout its F1 history, with many engineers hailing from the European country. However, Vasseur believes that Hamilton, who will join Ferrari next year, will push for engineers outside of Italy to take on a role in the racing team. Vasseur told the Financial Times: “Lewis is an important symbol because it sends a positive message to the paddock about the future of the team.”

“He has to make a choice: ‘Where do I have the greatest chance to win the world championship in 2025, 26, 27?’ And he replied, ‘Ferrari’. “For us, [Hamilton’s arrival] is also the best way to attract good people. We have good people at Ferrari, but I want to consolidate.“Most [F1 technicians] are in the UK. If you move from Mercedes in Brackley to Red Bull in Milton Keynes, you keep the same school for the children, you keep the same house. “From Friday to Monday, you can switch. Coming to Italy, it’s a different story. You have to move your family; it was a life changer. The move to Lewis will help us.”

Ferrari is ‘not afraid’ of the consequences of risks
Ferrari has made a strong start to the ongoing F1 campaign, claiming two wins in Australia and Monaco. Although the team has dropped in the rankings in the last few races, Vasseur praised the aggressive approach the team has adopted recently.

“If you are afraid of risk tolerance, you will accept margins everywhere,” he said. “And, in our business, you can have five cars in a tenth of a second. I’ve spent the last 15 months motivating people. Because the more risk we take, the better we will manage risk. I’m really pleased with this step forward. “At Ferrari, we don’t need to fear the consequences of what we are doing. Perhaps in the past, the racing team was a bit afraid of outside forces. “But my job is to manage this; push them to be a little more aggressive. And then accept mistakes when we [make] them.”