F1 Rumor: Toto Wolff & Co. to Lose Bono as Ferrari’s $500 Million Masterstroke Leaves Mercedes Desperate

Things don’t look so good for Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton decided to part ways with the team. Ever since Lewis Hamilton replaced Carlos Sainz in Ferrari, it looks like Mercedes has been falling apart. The team had some big plans for Lewis Hamilton before he left and now it looks like another crew member is making a move from the Silver Arrows.

Toto Wolff is in a tough position as it looks like his team is unhappy with how things are. After the departure of Hamilton to Ferrari, the Prancing Horse decided to pay Lewis Hamilton $100 million a season with an ambassador deal of $400 million. The kind of promise that Ferrari shows for the 2025 season must have gotten to Peter Bonnington, as he is also set to make his move to support his championship-winning driver.

Peter Bonnington’s move to Ferrari following Lewis Hamilton

Following the announcement of Lewis Hamilton signing a deal with Ferrari, a rumor about Peter Bonnington making a move to support the Briton driver surfaced. MotorSport.com had a talk with Mercedes to discuss the move of Hamilton to Ferrari. During the conversation, the possibility of Bonnington’s move to Ferrari was mentioned. This does not come as a surprise, as engineers often follow the drivers they are most adjusted to.

In conversation with MotorSport, Toto Wolff mentioned, “I think this is a discussion which everyone needs to have in the months to come,” He continued “And as much as I’ve spoken with Bono already, when I told him [about Hamilton’s move] he said, ‘Is it April the first?’ That’s something which we will discuss in the future.” After Ferrari decided to invest over $500 million in the Lewis Hamilton deal, it became evident that Ferrari was serious about the next season.

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This means Riccardo Adami, who is currently working with Carlos Sainz, will have to find a new role in the team if Bono decides to go through with the move. Recently Ferrari has shown a lot of promise when it comes to strategizing and planning for the 2025 season. The way things look, it feels like Ferrari is ready to get this season over with so they can move to the next phase in their plan.

Where does this leave Mercedes in 2025?

Now that it looks like Ferrari is going with the divide-and-conquer method, Mercedes looks like it is in a fix. The team that was used to getting podium finishes has lost their main driver and possibly, their engineer. With that said, there are many gaps for Mercedes to fill after the upcoming season is over.

On the bright side, many drivers will be competing their contract terms with their respective teams. This means Toto Wolff will have many possible prospects ready to build a new team. While Ferrari looks like it’s on an upward trend, Mercedes has time to strategize for 2025.

Currently, it is known that several Formula 1 drivers will undergo team changes, as contracts conclude in 2024. Sergio Perez is leaving Red Bull, Carlos Sainz is parting ways with Ferrari, and Fernando Alonso will conclude his contract with Aston Martin. Alpine will witness changes with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon both ending their contracts in 2024. Williams is set for adjustments with Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon concluding their contracts.

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At Visa Cash App RB, both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are expected to leave in 2024. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will conclude their contracts with Sauber, and Haas will see changes with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg ending their contracts in 2024. Overall, the Formula 1 landscape is poised for significant driver lineup transformations in the upcoming seasons.

Overall, the Formula 1 landscape is poised for significant driver lineup transformations in the upcoming seasons. With the number of changes happening in the team line-ups in 2024, Mercedes has a lot of prospective drivers to hire to be able to get back at Ferrari for the inconvenience. That being said, what do you think, who will be the future driver for Ferrari?