Ferrari raids Mercedes to secure two new major signings

Ferrari has again raided Mercedes to secure two new high-profile signings.

Following the major capture of seven-time F1 drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton earlier this year, Ferrari has now poached Loïc Serra and Jerome D'Ambrosio.

Serra has been appointed to the role of head of chassis performance engineering. Reporting into Enrico Cardile, the Scuderia's technical director for chassis and aerodynamics, Serra will be overseeing numerous areas, including track engineering, aero development, aero operations and vehicle performance.

D'Ambrosio, meanwhile, becomes Ferrari's new deputy team principal, reporting directly to boss Fred Vasseur. He also takes on the role of head of the team's Driver Academy

Both will start with Ferrari on October 1.

Serra's move has long been on the cards, but with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff losing a key backroom team member.

The Frenchman, who previously worked for BMW Sauber until the German manufacturing giant's withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2010, then moved on to Mercedes the following year, taking up his current role of performance director in 2019.

After Vasseur started work as team principal in January last year, he made Serra one of his top targets. Although his move emerged last year, Ferrari has now finally been able to officially confirm the switch.

D'Ambrosio taking on the deputy team principal role is more of a surprise.

RacingNews365 confirmed two months ago the 38-year-old Belgian, who raced in Formula 1 in 2011 for Marussia Virgin Racing before a one-off outing with Lotus in 2012, would be leaving to join Ferrari.

Early last year, D'Ambrosio was initially seen in the Mercedes pits, working with the team on an informal basis before being appointed as its driver development director 12 months ago.

D'Ambrosio primarily looked after the young drivers on Mercedes roster competing in the various series globally.

There was the suggestion late last season he was being groomed to be Wolff's successor one day should the Austrian decide to step down.

D'Ambrosio had previously been a deputy team principal with Venturi Racing over the 2020-21 season, before stepping up to take over the reins for the following campaign. He moved into a managerial role after six seasons as a driver in Formula E.

Midway through the season, Wolff confirmed D'Ambrosio would serve as team principal at races he did not attend, leading to the latter replacing him at the Japanese and Qatar Grands Prix after he underwent knee surgery.

It emerged earlier this year, however, that D'Ambrosio was willing to join Ferrari.