Ferrari complete latest technical reshuffle ahead of 2021 F1 season

Ferrari has announced the latest reorganisation of its technical department following its worst Formula 1 season since 1980.

Under the changes, which follow a technical team shake-up that came after Ferrari’s poor start to 2020 last July, the technical department will be restructured with Enrico Cardile (chassis), Enrico Gualtieri (power unit), Laurent Mekies (racing), and Gianmaria Fulgenzi (supply chain) all reporting directly to team principal Mattia Binotto.

Ferrari has also reorganised its chassis team into four main areas, where Cardile will be in charge of chassis performance engineering, while Fabio Montecchi will head chassis project engineering, David Sanchez shall manage vehicle concept and Diego Ioverno will oversee vehicle operations.

A Ferrari statement says that the chassis department re-organisation has been implemented “with the aim of being more effective and efficient in the pursuit of maximum performance”.

The reshuffle comes off the back of a woeful 2020 campaign for Ferrari, in which the Italian manufacturer slumped to a sixth-place finish in the constructors’ championship - marking its worst F1 result for 40 years.

Ferrari is officially launching its 2021 season with an event on Friday, where further details regarding Binotto and Mekies’ plans are expected to be confirmed.

Reports in Italian media have claimed that Binotto is set to miss several rounds of the 2021 F1 season in order to concentrate on the development of the team’s 2022 car, with Mekies stepping in to act as deputy team principal for those events.

It would not be the first time that Mekies has taken over the responsibility of the running of the team during race weekends, after he deputised for Binotto on three occasions last year - in Turkey, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi - when the latter was absent. 

Ferrari is set to unveil its SF21 2021 F1 car, which will be driven by Charles Leclerc and new signing Carlos Sainz, on 10 March, just two days before pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain.