Rumors
'Cardile won't start at Aston Martin yet, on gardening leave from Ferrari'
Enrico Cardile is still to make the switch over from Ferrari to Aston Martin, as the Italian has not yet been able to start working for the Silverstone-based team. Presented by Aston Martin as the new F1 Chief Technical Officer, according to a rumour from Corriere dello Sport at least, Ferrari seems to be blocking their former employee's arrival at his new team.
During the testing days in Bahrain, it was revealed that Cardile had not yet started at his new job at Aston Martin. "I am looking forward to getting started at Aston Martin. The ambition and goals are clear and it is a unique opportunity to be part of it. This is a personal and professional challenge. I look forward to working with the team."
Adrian Newey, however, whose offical start date at Aston Martin is 3 March of 2025, has already begun his tenure at the Silverstone-based team. In Bahrain, Andy Cowell, the British racing green team's principal, was asked about Cardile's start date, a question he blatantly sidestepped, "Anyone else (a question)?"
'Cardile in gardening leave from Ferrari'
A few days later, the rumor emerged that Ferrari would not cooperate with an early transfer. The Scuderia impose 12-months gardening leave on Cardile, which would mean that he would not be able to start working for Aston Martin until 17 July. According to Corriere dello Sport, lawyers from both teams are looking into the situation, and although both parties had reportedly reached an agreement during mediation, it has now been broken due to new factors.
The Italian newspaper reports that Lawrence Stroll is said to be extremely angry about the situation. The owner of the Aston Martin F1 team had counted on the arrival of Cardile in his reorganization, who would "oversee the philosophy, design and construction of the new cars." Given that the racing team will have to work hard on the 2026 car in the coming months, it will be missing a crucial figure in a crucial phase.
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