Hamilton engineer Bonnington to stay with Mercedes F1 in expanded role

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes race engineer Pete Bonnington has been promoted to head of race engineering and will stay with the Formula 1 team in 2025.

Bonnington will dovetail his new role with his existing race engineering duties for Hamilton until the end of the season.

A Mercedes spokesperson has confirmed the 49-year-old will then stay on with the team in 2025 as Hamilton departs to Ferrari, becoming the race engineer for one of Mercedes’ two drivers next year.

Bonnington became Hamilton’s race engineer in 2013 when the latter joined from McLaren, having previously worked with Michael Schumacher at the Brackley-based squad.

Hamilton and Bonnington went on to forge a formidable partnership at the team, with Bonnington in Hamilton’s corner throughout his six world championships with the Silver Arrows.

As Hamilton announced his shock switch to Ferrari at the start of this year, questions were raised on whether or not his trusted ally would join the seven-time world champion in Maranello, but that door has now closed.

Hamilton will still encounter familiar faces in Italy, with former Mercedes engineer Loic Serra set to join the Scuderia as Head of Chassis Performance Engineering in October.

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur also enjoys a great relationship with the 39-year-old from their time at junior formula outfit ART Grand Prix.

Hamilton will also be re-united at Ferrari with his former Mercedes performance engineer Jock Clear, who worked with Hamilton in his first two years at Mercedes.

Bonnington last joined Hamilton on a grand prix podium at July’s British Grand Prix, where Hamilton took a long-awaited first win in two and a half years.

“I wouldn’t say crying, I had something in my eye,” Bonnington, nicknamed Bono, told Sky Sports about the emotionally charged home win.

“It’s an emotional one. It’s been a long, long time, and he and I have been working hard trying to get back there. Baby steps, but it’s taken a lot of them so far.”

Mercedes has won three of the last four grands prix – with two wins for Hamilton and one for team-mate George Russell – as the 2024 F1 season gets back under way this weekend at Zandvoort.