Simone Resta to leave Ferrari to take up technical role with Haas

Ferrari

Resta to leave Ferrari to take up technical role with Haas

Scuderia strengthens its links with American team

Ian Parkes

Friday 4 December 2020 14:40 Updated: 17:21

Simone Resta is to move from Ferrari to Haas in a strategic move that is set to strengthen the links between the Italian and US-based teams.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said Resta, who is currently head of Ferrari's engineering department, will join in an as-yet undefined "senior" position and will be a "big boost" to the team.

Explaining the move, which will see Enrico Cardile take Resta's place at Maranello, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said: "The structure of Scuderia Ferrari evolves rapidly, staying ahead of the game.

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"As from 2021, with the introduction of new regulations, all of us will be facing new challenges that we must tackle with pragmatism and an open mind, which is in fact what we started to do with the organisational changes announced a few months ago.

"It is why we believe that our long-term relationship with Haas, dating back to when it first came into Formula 1, should be the basis for both parties to benefit from any possible synergy, consistent with what is defined in the FIA regulations.

"With that idea in mind, we are pleased to announce that the highly-rated Simone Resta will move to strengthen the American team’s technical department as from the start of next year.

"This is a further step in the process of continuous evolution of the team’s technical department. Simone, whom we thank for his efforts to date, will have an important role within a team that has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Formula 1.

"It has just strengthened an already very close relationship with the Scuderia by taking on Ferrari Academy driver Mick Schumacher."

Steiner said that despite the close timing to Schumacher's announcement and the close relationships, Resta's move was not directly linked to the son of former seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher's signing.

Steiner explained: "Any connection to Mick is not direct, obviously they have worked very close together with Ferrari, but we needed to reinforce our technical team so he was a good choice.

"We have fallen a bit behind it is a big boost to help get back on our feet again, to get back to our performance of 2018. We need good people, Simone was at Ferrari then a short stint at Alfa Romeo and he was available and we took him."

Other areas at Ferrari remain unchanged, with Enrico Gualtieri heading the power unit division and sporting director Laurent Mekies in charge of track activities.

Resta initially joined Ferrari from Minardi in 2001 and worked as a senior design engineer, before being promoted to head of the research and development department, then deputy chief design director and finally chief designer.

Resta then left Ferrari to join Alfa Romeo in 2018 as technical director, but was only with the team for 14 months before returning to Ferrari.