Photo: RacePictures.

Hamilton's Ferrari entourage suffers blow after key exit confirmed

19:23, 05 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Riccardo Corte, Lewis Hamilton’s former performance engineer at Ferrari, has departed Formula 1 to join Grove Racing in Australia’s V8 Supercars championship.

After 11 seasons in Maranello, Corte leaves behind a long stint where he acted as Charles Leclerc's driving coach, before being promoted to performance engineer for Carlos Sainz, the same role he retained when Hamilton joined the team for the 2025 F1 season.

Corte was charged with the task of helping the seven-time world champion become accustomed to internal procedures at Ferrari following his high-profile departure from Mercedes.

As of the Belgian Grand Prix, though, before the summer break, Corte was reassigned to a position in the background within the Scuderia, prior to his exit from the Maranello-based outfit.

Photo: Race Pictures

However, Corte has now revealed his plans, sealing his exit from Formula One altogether, taking on race engineering duties for Supercars rookie Kai Allen in 2026.

“I’m really proud to be joining Grove Racing at such an exciting time for the team,” Corte said regarding his switch. “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," the now ex-Ferrari man concluded.

Since after the summer break though, Hamilton's progress at the team has been made evident by the shrinking gap in qualifying pace and race pace teammate Charles Leclerc previously held over the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton's relation with Adami faces scrutiny

Dutch former F1 driver Robert Doornbos says Hamilton and his Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami lack chemistry and clear communication, citing radio exchanges during the Mexican GP incident with Max Verstappen that earned Hamilton a 10-second penalty, arguing this disconnect hinders Hamilton’s ability to maximize results. Read Doornbos's full comments here.

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