Lewis Hamilton handed early 2026 F1 boost with key Ferrari hiring

Ferrari, after a winless 2025 season, have made a new signing just four weeks out from the new campaign

Ferrari have signed French engineer Guillaume Dezoteux from Racing Bulls ahead of the new F1 season.

Dezoteux spent 18 years at Red Bull’s junior team as head of vehicle performance but has now taken on a new role at the Scuderia, keen to rebuild after a winless 2025 campaign with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

“Today is the end of my 18-year adventure with the Red Bull family - what a ride!” Dezoteux confirmed on his LinkedIn page.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the team, and I’m wishing them all the best in the upcoming season with the new car and the brand-new power unit.”

Dezoteux will take up the role of Ferrari’s head of performance operations, reporting to head of trackside engineering Matteo Togninalli.

Dezoteux will also work alongside sporting director Diego Ioverno in a new technical structure, led by ex-Mercedes man Loic Serra, who joined as technical director last year.

However, Ferrari are yet to announce Hamilton’s new race engineer, with the second pre-season test starting next Wednesday in Bahrain.

Ferrari have signed Guillaume Dezoteux from Racing Bulls (Getty Images)

McLaren’s Cedric Michel-Grosjean, formerly Oscar Piastri’s performance engineer, is believed to be the frontrunner to replace Riccardo Adami, while Hamilton’s own performance engineer Luca Diella is another option.

Hamilton has also split with his manager Marc Hynes, who has taken on a role at new American team Cadillac.

Hamilton endured the worst season of his 19-year F1 career in 2025, failing to register a grand prix podium and finishing sixth in the world championship.

The 2026 F1 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 8 March.