Hamilton's longtime engineer 'Bono' stays loyal to Mercedes, won’t join Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton's celebrated race engineer, Peter Bonnington, has decided to remain at Mercedes, opting not to join the seven-time world champion in his move to Ferrari next year. Bonnington, who is widely known among race fans as "Bono" from Hamilton's radio messages, has committed his future to Mercedes, a team with which he has shared considerable success.

Bonnington has been a pivotal figure in Hamilton's career, having collaborated closely with the British driver since Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013. Over the years, their partnership has proven to be one of the most successful in Formula 1, with six of Hamilton's seven world titles being achieved under Bonnington's expertise.

As Hamilton prepares to transition to Ferrari next year, there had been speculation that key figures from his current team, including Bonnington, might follow suit. This seemed plausible, especially since Ferrari has already signed former Mercedes personnel, with Jérôme d'Ambrosio taking on the role of deputy principal and Loic Serra stepping in as head of chassis performance engineering.

However, Bonnington's loyalty to Mercedes has been solidified with a significant career advancement. He has been promoted to the position of head of race engineering, a role that he will assume starting this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. Despite his new responsibilities, Bonnington will continue to support Hamilton until the end of the current season.

As Mercedes prepares for Hamilton's departure, the team has yet to confirm his replacement for the 2025 season. Rumors indicate that the team is considering promoting its prodigious academy talent, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, currently competing in Formula 2, to fill the coveted seat.

Bonnington’s decision to stay marks a stabilizing move for Mercedes during a season of significant transitions, maintaining continuity in their engineering department while looking ahead to the integration of new talent.

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