Lewis Hamilton loses key ally as poached Ferrari ace quits F1 altogether | F1 | Sport

Lewis Hamilton’s former performance engineer, Riccardo Corte, has made an unexpected move, leaving Ferrari to join Grove Racing in the Australian V8 Supercars championship.

Corte has spent the last 11 seasons with Ferrari’s F1 operation, working as a driver coach for Charles Leclerc before stepping into his performance engineer position with Carlos Sainz. He held this role when Hamilton joined the team, helping the 40-year-old get accustomed to his new squad after a blockbuster switch from Mercedes.

However, after the Belgian Grand Prix before the summer break, Corte was shuffled back into a development role. Now, he has left Ferrari altogether, making the unexpected decision to join the Supercars series as a race engineer for rookie Kai Allen in 2026.

“I’m really proud to be joining Grove Racing at such an exciting time for the team,” Corte said after his switch was confirmed. “The progress they’ve made in recent seasons is impressive, and the Bathurst 1000 win shows what’s possible with the right people and mindset.

“After 11 years at Ferrari F1, I’m looking forward to bringing that experience into Supercars, helping the team keep pushing forward and maximising every opportunity on track.” Team owner Stephen Grove added: “Riccardo’s appointment represents another major step forward for Grove Racing.

“His 11 years of experience at Ferrari F1 and his work as Lewis Hamilton’s performance engineer earlier this year bring incredible depth and understanding to our program. We’re proud to welcome him to the team, and it speaks to the calibre of people we have at Grove Racing.”

Grove Racing have taken strides under the current leadership since their takeover in 2021. The former midfield squad won the iconic Bathurst 1000 race on the final lap this year, and finished second in the Teams’ Championship, only losing to the Broc Feeney-inspired Triple Eight Race Engineering.

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Grove hopes that Corte’s arrival can vault the team into championship contention over the coming years. “We have some contacts through other engineers that work in Formula One, and we went through those contacts and ended up getting in touch with Riccardo,” he continued.

“We discussed what coming to Australia to work on a Supercar might involve. He was very interested in the challenge of working on a car with all the differences from engines to aerodynamics, and he was keen to see the things we do.

“The guys here in Australia are unbelievably skilled. But you also need to look beyond Australia to explore other opportunities and people who have worked at the top of our sport. And Formula One is the pinnacle.”