Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal at Sauber

Audi lands coup on Ferrari: 'Binotto makes off with two geniuses'

15:29, 11 Sep

byNorberto Mujica

Ferrari are set to lose two key figures from their engine department, with Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt reportedly leaving Maranello to join Audi, encouraged by a former Ferrari boss.

Binotto poached Zimmermann and Schmidt for Audi

According to Italian journals, Corriere della Sera and Corriere dello Sport, both engineers have been central to Ferrari’s progress in recent years.

And now, in a surprising turn of events, former Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, has taken it upon himself to sign the two key Ferrari man over to Audi.

Zimmermann, Head of Research and Development, has spent over a decade, 11 years to be exact, at Ferrari and played a pivotal role in the Scuderia's engine performance gains.

Schmidt, for his part, having joined Ferrari two years after Zimmerman, has been at Ferrari for nine years and in that time was able to work his way up to Head of Development, and also brings experience from his time at Mercedes, particularly in hybrid technologies.

It is not yet clear when the pair will officially begin work at Audi. All prominent staff are required to undergo a hiatus as they switch in between teams.

Mercedes and Alpine pick up the bill for Binotto's moves

Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur reportedly attempted to keep Zimmermann and Schmidt, but without success. Instead, he has already moved to cover the losses, bringing in specialists from Alpine and Mercedes to strengthen Ferrari’s technical staff.