Cardile signs for Aston Martin: End of the legal dispute with Ferrari

Enrico Cardile Joins Aston Martin as Technical Director

Aston Martin has officially announced the incorporation of Enrico Cardile as Technical Director of its Formula 1 team. The signing of Cardile, coming from Ferrari, is finalized after an agreement between both teams. Cardile left his position as technical director of Ferrari in mid-2024 to join Aston Martin. However, the start of his time at the British team was delayed by a contractual dispute between the two teams. The signing of the Italian engineer is part of Aston Martin’s strategy, led by Lawrence Stroll, to become a competitive team from 2026. This ambitious initiative includes the incorporation of key figures such as Adrian Newey and Andy Cowell. Ferrari obtained a court order preventing Cardile from working with Aston Martin until the end of his “gardening leave” period. The Italian team argued that Cardile was violating the non-compete agreement, which could give Aston Martin an unfair competitive advantage.

The Italian team stated at the time that the court had determined that “our former employee was already violating the non-compete agreement with Ferrari, whose purpose was precisely to prevent other F1 teams from gaining an unjustified competitive advantage by hiring Cardile before allowed, causing irreparable damage to Ferrari.”

Ferrari

Aston Martin has confirmed that Cardile is already working in his new role. The team expressed its satisfaction at having reached a solution that allows Cardile to lead the design and technical functions at the AMR Technology Campus for 2026 and beyond. Cardile’s arrival coincides with the new era of F1, which from next season will implement new regulations that will force the redesign of single-seaters and engines, promising a change in the competitive order. Cardile will report directly to the team principal and Group CEO, Andy Cowell. Stroll has described Newey, Cowell and Cardile as a “formidable leadership team”.

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Aston Martin’s investment includes a new, modern F1 headquarters, located opposite the Silverstone circuit. Furthermore, the team will begin the new cycle of regulations with an exclusive supply of Honda engines, after years of using Mercedes power units. Honda will end its successful partnership with Red Bull at the end of 2025.