Lewis Hamiltons first season with Ferrari just hit a snag with the bombshell exit of his performance guru, Riccardo Corte, whos ditching not just the team but F1 entirely. The seasoned Ferrari brains is trading scarlet red for Australian Supercars, jumping ship to Grove Racing where hell engineer young gun Kai Allen starting in 2026.
Timing couldnt be worse: Corte walks out as Ferrari heads into Brazils São Paulo showdown, a race where Hamilton desperately needs to crack his podium drought. Seven titles but zero champagne showers since joining the Scuderiahis best haul? A string of fourth-place finishes in Austria, Britain, and the U.S. Not exactly what the Tifosi dreamed of when he swapped Mercedes for Maranello.
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Cortes legacy at Ferrari runs deep. Over a decade, hes been the unsung hero, first shaping Charles Leclercs raw talent, then fine-tuning Carlos Sainzs pace before Hamilton came knocking. But after Belgium, the brass shuffled him to development purgatory, and now hes chasing fresh asphalt Down Under.
Grove Racing? Dont sleep on them. Since a 2021 takeover, theyve been clawing up the Supercars ranks, nabbing runner-up in last years Teams Championship and conquering Bathursts brutal 1000 km marathon. Cortes gamble? Turning potential into trophies with Allen.
Meanwhile, Ferraris scratching their heads over who fills Cortes shoes while Hamilton battles to mesh with the teams famously finicky machinery. For Corte, its curtains on 11 years of F1 grindand lights up on a wild new ride.Source