Enrico Cardile shares what he doesn’t want to ‘copy’ from Ferrari after joining Aston Martin

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Chief technical officer Enrico Cardile has started work at Aston Martin after a long gardening period following his Ferrari exit.

Enrico Cardile joins Aston Martin to provide support for team principal Andy Cowell and chief designer Adrian Newey.

Chairman Lawrence Stroll is putting together a seriously strong team of people behind the scenes at Aston Martin.

Virtually every team on the grid wanted to hire Cowell, while Newey’s incredible record in F1 put him on the radar of all of Red Bull’s rivals when he decided to leave last year.

Aston Martin have also built a state-of-the-art new factory that should give Newey and his colleagues all the tools needed to create a championship-winning car.

Cardile arrives from his previous role as Ferrari’s technical director for chassis, where he was responsible for the development of this year’s SF-25.

The Italian has now spoken about what he’s noticed at Aston Martin that’s different to Ferrari, and what he doesn’t want to ‘copy’ from his time working at Maranello.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Enrico Cardile doesn’t want to ‘copy’ Ferrari’s identity after joining Aston Martin

Cardile took part in an interview with NextGen-Auto and was asked whether his move to Aston Martin was a culture shock.

He said: “I think there is a cultural difference. The objectives are the same: everyone is aiming for victory, but the Ferrari F1 team has a very long and stable history, with well-established processes and tools.

“Here, we are still in the process of putting all that in place. We have the new wind tunnel, the new simulator, and we need to work to exploit the potential of these tools.

“We also need to develop processes within the company for the way we work, putting in place an organisation that avoids waste.

“This was one of the first messages I conveyed to my team when I started: we need to find our identity and use our vision to shape the organisation so that it works the way we want it to.

“It is perfectly acceptable to draw inspiration from other sources, but copying what has been done elsewhere is not the solution.

“We need to build something that builds on our strengths and allows us to work on our weaknesses. We want to be the benchmark, not a clone of the existing benchmark.

“We can’t just copy what others are doing, even if they are successful, because that means being a follower rather than a leader, and that is not the path to success.

“It’s a work in progress that is moving forward step by step. I have a clear vision and a precise plan, agreed with Andy Cowell, Adrian Newey and Lawrence Stroll, on what we need to do to improve the organisation.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Could Enrico Cardile and Adrian Newey clash at Aston Martin?

Cardile’s job is to guide the various specialists at Aston Martin, and he admitted he should never be the expert on any one topic in discussions.

Newey and Cardile could end up clashing as they have had different approaches to suspension setup previously in their careers.

Ferrari switched their suspension set-up this year, a decision which would have involved Cardile before his exit last summer.

However, if he’s true to his word, then he’ll be happy to follow Newey’s direction and provide insight into what might and might not work, rather than changing the way Aston Martin plan to develop their car.

Newey is said to be ‘pushing the boundaries’ of next year’s car, with the pecking order likely to change in the paddock when F1’s new regulations are introduced in 2026.

It’s up to Cardile to make sure that all the different departments at Aston Martin are heading in the same direction.