F1 News
More bad news Ferrari: 'Mekies has received offer from Alpine'
- GPblog.com
Things are rumbling at Ferrari. After the poor start to the season in Bahrain, there is much discontent within the team. The highest possible finish for the Scuderia seemed to be the last spot on the podium, until Charles Leclerc had to put the car alongside the track due to an engine problem. As a result, only Carlos Sainz made it to the finish for Ferrari, crossing the line in fourth place. Race director Laurent Mekies also seems to want to leave the team.
In 2018, Mekies moved from the FIA to Ferrari. Here, he was first sporting director and in 2021 became racing director within the team. According to Formu1a.uno, Mekies seems to have declared his intention to leave the team and has already received several offers, according to reports.
Mekies to Alpine?
According to the Italian Formula 1 site, Mekies has already received three offers, which include offers from Alpine and his old employer, the FIA. "The Frenchman has offers from Alpine, Liberty Media and the FIA itself, but his contract with Ferrari would be quite complicated to break without incurring a hefty fine."
Frederic Vasseur, the team's new boss in 2023, would like to retain Mekies reports Formu1a.uno. Before Mekies, more Ferrari personnel left this season. The head of aerodynamics, David Sanchez, for instance, is said to be making the move from Ferrari to McLaren.