Ferrari win case to delay Enrico Cardile’s start at Aston Martin

An Aston Martin statement said: “This is a matter between Enrico and Ferrari and their legal representatives in Italy, and the parties continue to be engaged in the process.

“As such we won’t be making any further comment. We will make an announcement in due course.”

Ferrari’s legal victory means Cardile will not be available to start work at Aston Martin until long into the development phase of the team’s 2026 car.

F1 is introducing new chassis and engine regulations together in 2026 in one of the biggest rule changes in the sport’s history.

Cardile’s signing was one of a series of major changes at Aston Martin as owner Lawrence Stroll seeks to turn his team into world title contenders.

Adrian Newey, the legendary former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull designer, started work as managing technical partner of Aston Martin on 3 March.

Newey, regarded as the greatest designer in F1 history, has begun work in time to have a significant input into the 2026 car.

Under F1 rules, teams were not allowed to start aerodynamic work on their 2026 cars until the start of this year.

In 2026, Aston Martin will become Honda’s factory engine partner, having been a Mercedes customer since the team was renamed for the historic sports car brand in 2022, and for many years before that in its previous guises as Racing Point and Force India.

The team started working in a new factory last year, a new driver-in-the-loop simulator was inaugurated this winter, and a new wind tunnel has been built and is expected to be ready for research and development work in the coming weeks.