Peter Bonnington could not believe his ears when Toto Wolff told him the news. The race engineer was completely surprised that Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari and will leave Mercedes.
It came as a big surprise to everyone at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton announced he was leaving. The Briton still had a deal until 2025 at Mercedes but decided to lift his clause and leave at the end of 2024. Hamilton told this news on Wednesday morning to Wolff, who then had to tell Peter Bonnington.
Hamilton's race engineer could not believe it, Wolff told The Race. 'Bono' is said to have asked Wolff: "is it April 1?". However, it turned out not to be an April fools joke. Hamilton is really leaving for Ferrari at the end of 2024. Whether Bonnington will also make the switch to Ferrari is currently unknown.