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Former Hamilton ally plots Ferrari failure after SHOCK rival team move

They previously worked together at Mercedes

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Tuesday 14 January 2025 17:58 Updated: 20:00

A former ally of Lewis Hamilton is plotting his Ferrari failure after being handed a new role at a rival team.

With 2025 having now arrived, Hamilton is officially a Ferrari man, with the seven-time world champion no doubt looking to achieve a record-breaking eighth world title behind the wheel of the iconic red car.

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However, several teams will be trying to stop him from doing so, including Aston Martin.

And, following a restructure at the Silverstone-based outfit, the man leading that charge will be Andy Cowell - a former ally of Hamilton's when they were both at Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton has said goodbye to Mercedes after 12 seasons

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari failure plotted

Cowell previously worked as engineering director for the Mercedes-Benz high performance engine division from 2008 to 2013, before then taking up a new role as managing director of the Mercedes AMG high performance powertrains - a role which he held until 2020.

This, of course, coincided with the turbo-hybrid engine era in F1, which Mercedes dominated, winning eight constructors' titles and seven drivers' championships between 2014 and 2021.

Cowell moved to Aston Martin as group CEO back in 2022, however, and now, the team have named him team principal heading into the new season in a leadership shakeup.

Andy Cowell is the new Aston Martin team principal

With Cowell stating the team are eyeing championships in the near future, he will be targeting such at Hamilton's expense.

Aston Martin boast a world champion of their own in Fernando Alonso and, following the signing of F1 design legend Adrian Newey, are expecting to challenge further up the grid in years to come.

"I have spent the last three months understanding and assessing our performance, and I've been incredibly impressed by the dedication, commitment and hard work of this team," Cowell explained in an official statement.

"With the completion of the AMR technology campus and our transition in 2026 to a full works team, alongside our strategic partners Honda and Aramco, we are on a journey to becoming a championship-winning team.

"These organisational changes are a natural evolution of the multi-year plans that we have scheduled to make and I'm incredibly excited about the future."

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