Ferrari star poached by F1 RIVAL in major switch

Photo: © IMAGO

Latest F1 News

Ferrari star poached by F1 RIVAL in major switch

The switch was confirmed in an official statement

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 18 January 2025 14:12

A Ferrari star has been poached by a rival series to Formula 1 ahead of the 2025 season.

It is a hugely exciting time for the Italian team, with Lewis Hamilton's switch having been made official at the turn of the new year.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen Aston Martin BOMBSHELL emerges as Red Bull star tipped for team EXIT

Article continues under video

The seven-time world champion is soon set to make his debut in a red car, too, with multiple drives planned ahead of testing in Bahrain next month.

Ahead of the new season, however, Ferrari have been hit with the loss of a formerly key figure in Charles Leclerc's camp.

Ferrari finished the 2024 season with a double podium but just missed out on the team title

Fred Vassuer's new vision for Ferrari is expected to come to life in 2025 with Lewis Hamilton's arrival

Leclerc's former F1 engineer makes Cadillac switch

Charles Leclerc's former engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros, has been confirmed as the new technical director for Cadillac's LMDh project in an official announcement.

Marcos Padros previously worked as race engineer for the Monegasque driver from 2018 until 2024, but left the role after being assigned to work on other projects for the motorsport giant midway through last season.

The Spaniard was replaced ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by Bryan Bozzi., but continued to work within Ferrari.

Now, however, after spending a substantial time in F1, Marcos Padros will now make the move to some rival series', set to work on Cadillac's WEC and IMSA SportsCar Championship projects.

Before working at Ferrari, Marcos Padros also worked with Williams in F1 and Richard Childress Racing in NASCAR.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Formula 1 Charles Leclerc 2025 season