Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch from Mercedes to Ferrari was reportedly partially motivated by the departure of head of vehicle performance Loic Serra, who was Fred Vasseur’s first major technical signing after taking charge of the Italian constructor last season. With the pair both now out of the door, Toto Wolff is reportedly facing further key departures from his staff list.
According to a report from RacingNews365, Serra had been locked into a lengthy dispute with the Mercedes technical staff – headed by the now-departed Mike Elliott – over the direction of the team’s development with the W13 and W14.
Serra believed that the philosophy behind those two cars was the wrong direction for the team to be heading in due to the long wheelbase and floor designs, but the Silver Arrows made the decision to double down on the W13’s characteristics despite his recommendations with this proving an ill-fated choice.
Hamilton was also vocal in his opposition to continuing the ‘zeropod’ design experiment from the W13 to the W14. The 39-year-old made several recommendations to the team during the winter development period, but these were not taken into consideration.
Explaining his opposition to the development path in 2023, Hamilton said: “Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car. I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need.
“And I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.”
Off the back of these decisions, Serra – who played an instrumental role in creating the team’s success during the turbo-hybrid era – had agreed to join Ferrari with his switch to Maranello scheduled for the first day of 2025, after the expiration of his existing Mercedes contract.
As per the RacingNews365 report, Serra’s departure played a key role in Hamilton’s decision to swap Brackley for Maranello too with the seven-time world champion hedging his bets that the Scuderia represent his best shot at returning to World Championship contention.
This may not be where the pain ends for Wolff and Mercedes as, according to a report from Corriere della Sera, more influential figures could join the legendary Italian constructor along with Hamilton and Serra.
Hamilton’s decision brings to an end an iconic relationship between himself and Mercedes that will have spanned 12 years when he eventually departs at the end of 2024. The Brit won six of his seven World Championship titles with the Silver Arrows, forming one of F1’s most legendary partnerships.
