Ferrari has recruited French engineer Guillaume Dezoteux from Racing Bulls to strengthen its technical team ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The move includes a significant pay increase for Dezoteux, who will serve as head of performance operations. This hiring aims to help the team rebound from a winless 2025 campaign.
Ferrari announced the addition of Guillaume Dezoteux to its lineup, poaching the experienced French engineer from Racing Bulls, Red Bull's junior team. Dezoteux, who spent 18 years at Racing Bulls as head of vehicle performance, shared his departure on LinkedIn. In his announcement, he thanked his colleagues and expressed best wishes for the team's new car and power unit in the upcoming season.
In his new role at Ferrari, Dezoteux will report directly to Matteo Togninalli, the head of trackside engineering, and work alongside sporting director Diego Ioverno. This integration occurs within a revamped technical structure overseen by Loic Serra, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes as technical director last year. The recruitment is part of Ferrari's efforts to recover from a difficult 2025 season, during which the team failed to secure any victories and driver Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the championship without a single podium—his worst performance in Formula 1.
Ferrari has not yet named Hamilton's race engineer for 2026, with the second pre-season test in Bahrain scheduled for the following week. Leading candidates include Cedric Michel-Grosjean from McLaren, formerly Oscar Piastri's performance engineer and considered the top choice to replace Riccardo Adami, as well as Hamilton's current engineer Luca Diella. Separately, Hamilton has ended his association with longtime manager Marc Hynes, who has joined the new American team Cadillac.
The team recently revealed its 2026 car, the SF-26, as Formula 1 gears up for major regulatory changes. The season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8.
