Ferrari signs Laurent Mekies
14.03.2018
N after the much-discussed change from FIA technical director Marcin Budkowski to Renault, it was actually thought that the teams would no longer poach at the world federation. But on Wednesday (March 14th, 2018) Ferrari surprised with the announcement that they had signed Laurent Mekies.
The Frenchman was most recently employed by the FIA as head of the safety department and as a representative of race director Charlie Whiting. In this role, like Budkowski, he certainly has access to a lot of sensitive information from all teams. And not just about things related to safety.
Mekies strengthens Ferrari technical department
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Old allies: Laurent Mekies already worked with pilot Sebastian Vettel at Toro Rosso.
As Ferrari confirmed, Mekies will strengthen the Scuderia in the development department and get a place under technical director Mattia Binotto. The engineer will start his new job in Maranello on September 20th. The work ban is therefore just six months. These sensitive personnel will certainly not spark any enthusiasm among the competition.
Mekies has known a prominent Ferrari employee from the old days together. When Sebastian Vettel drove his first full season at Toro Rosso in 2008, Mekies was employed there as technology director. The 40-year-old had previously worked at Minardi.
FIA releases Mekies from his duties
Mekies only joined the world association in 2014. There he mainly dealt with matters relating to safety and medical care. Since the start of the 2017 season, his role has been expanded to include deputy race director. Together with Charlie Whiting he looked after last yearall about sporting matters on the track.
As the FIA has announced, Mekies will be released from operational business with immediate effect. This ensures that he does not get any knowledge of the latest technology projects of the other teams. The future Ferrari man is still on the FIA's payroll until the end of June, before he can finally move to Maranello.
