Bono Thought Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Move Was an “April Fools” Joke as Toto Wolff’s Phone Call Details Get Leaked

Everyone in Formula 1 has their eyes on Hamilton, Mercedes and Ferrari. The massive transfer that will take effect in 2025 will reset the course for all the teams. With Lewis Hamilton making his way to Ferrari, he is ready to take on the legacy and drive in red like Michael Schumacher. At the Maranello-based outfit, he would aspire to win his record-breaking 8th title and overtake the German legend.

But behind the scenes, everyone is wondering how Toto Wolff is dealing with the incident. While many F1 experts are discussing the subject, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan leaked the details about how Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington reacted upon hearing about Hamilton’s departure from Ferrari on the Formula for Success podcast.

Toto Wolff breaks the news to Peter Bonnington who is left in disbelief

During the podcast, Eddie Jordan shared some details from the morning of Lewis Hamilton breaking the news. Jordan said, “Toto rang up Bono. For those who don’t know, Bono is Lewis’ race engineer and he has been incredibly close to Lewis for a very long time.” Jordan continued to explain, “He rang him up last weekend when this news broke before it came out, cause obviously they had breakfast together, Lewis and Toto and that’s when it came up.”

Jordan explains what happened at breakfast, “Toto rang up Bono and he told him the story and I’d like that you listen to what the reply from Bono was, he said ‘Toto pinch yourself man, this is not the first of April, this is not an April Fool’s Day.‘ They were all in total disbelief.” The reaction from Bono highlights his sheer disbelief upon hearing the news from Wolff. Lewis Hamilton is known to stir up a joke on April Fool’s Day, and Bono hoped that it was another one of his jokes. While it was no joke and Bono came to terms with Hamilton leaving, the team principal understood that they had an empty seat to fill for the 2025 season.

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Hamilton decided to leave Mercedes because he felt like the team was not giving him enough to become the world champion again. On the other hand, Ferrari showed great promise by giving him a salary of around 100 million euros annually while also making him a brand ambassador and investing 400 million more in him. With Hamilton moving to Ferrari, does this mean his right-hand man Bonnington will also exit the team and follow the Brit?

Will Bono follow Hamilton to Ferrari?

The simple and sweet answer to the question is no. And that is because of the non-solicitation clauses. Bonnington has been the race engineer for some of the top talents in Formula 1 and having him was crucial for Lewis Hamilton to achieve his Championship titles. But now, with Hamilton’s move to the prancing horse, Bono cannot make a move just yet.

The non-poaching clause set by Mercedes prevents any other teammate from leaving the team on his departure. This was done to protect the interests of the team in case a driver decided to leave; which he did. The clause was implemented to prevent a mass exodus of employees upon a change. Due to his clause, Hamilton will have to race without Bonnington by his side in 2025. Although the transfer can still take place if all the parties agree to the situation, it seems unlikely that Wolff would let Bono go.

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With that being said, do you think Lewis Hamilton will be able to win a World Championship without Bono by his side? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.