Ferrari has confirmed the departure of Laurent Mekies as he will leave the F1 team this week, with Diego Ioverno taking his role.
Months after AlphaTauri announced the hiring of Mekies as its new F1 team principal for the 2024 season with Peter Bayer as its Sporting Director, Ferrari has officially confirmed the departure of the Frenchman from its team this week.
Mekies has been given an early release by Ferrari, who were negotiating a different deal with Red Bull. Reports suggested about the Italian manufacturer wanting something in return, where certain members were identified to bolster its team.
It is unclear if those demands have been met but Mekies is now free to join AlphaTauri in 2024. His place at Ferrari has been given to the team’s veteran Ioverno who has been with them for the past 23 years as he will be one of the members on the pitwall.
He will report to Frederic Vasseur who will also be seated at pitwall alongside Matteo Togninalli (Head of Track Engineering) and Ravin Jain (Race Strategist). “Laurent Mekies’ time at Scuderia Ferrari comes to an end this week,” Ferrari said in a statement.
“The Racing Director will not be in Belgium and he leaves the Prancing Horse after four and a half seasons, during which time the team took seven wins. The entire team thanks him for his great contribution during those years.
“As from the Belgian Grand Prix, part of Laurent’s duties on the pitwall will be carried out by Diego Ioverno, who takes on the role of Sporting Director. He will be responsible for all sporting matters, as well as liaising with the FIA.
“Along with his colleagues on the pitwall, Matteo Togninalli, Head of Track Engineering and Ravin Jain, Race Strategist, he will report directly to team principal, Fred Vasseur.”
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