For the first time, Lewis Hamilton has responded to the news that his trusted race engineer, Peter Bonnington, will not be joining him at Ferrari. Although Hamilton had hoped that Bonnington would make the move as well, he understands why ‘Bono’ is staying in England. Hamilton has also shared his wish list for his new race engineer.
Lewis Hamilton is set to move to Ferrari next season, but he will do so without his trusted race engineer, Peter Bonnington. The British engineer, better known as ‘Bono’, was promoted to head of race engineering at Mercedes this week. Therefore, ‘Bono’ will not be following Hamilton to Ferrari.
“Did I hope (to continue with Bonnington)? Of course, I would have liked to continue with Bono,” Hamilton responded for the first time to the news, in front of the press in Zandvoort. “We have a great relationship. He’s like a brother. But I’m really happy for him. For me, it’s just about people doing what’s best for them.”
Hamilton’s Move to Ferrari: Implications and Expectations
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari naturally means that the seven-time world champion will be spending more time in Italy from next year, which would have also meant a “drastic change” for Bonnington. The driver therefore found it “unlikely” that his race engineer would move with him to Ferrari. “But I’m really happy for us that the team has made changes to his path within the team. I think he can now show them even more of the amazing things he can do,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton’s Wish List
Hamilton and Bonnington have been working together since the British driver’s arrival at Mercedes. Therefore, Hamilton will be dealing with a new race engineer at Ferrari for the first time since 2013. The seven-time world champion already has a wish list ready.
“It has to be someone you can get along with. It has to be someone with whom you can easily build a relationship and trust,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to be a discovery process. I’ll know early on whether it’s going to work or not. I think it’s all about communication.”
