The clause in Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract that prevented Peter Bonnington joining Ferrari

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Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington is staying at Mercedes rather than following Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari. He’s signed a new contract with the Silver Arrows and earned a promotion to head of race engineering.

Hamilton has worked with Bonnington since he joined Mercedes back in 2013. But he’ll have to get used to a new voice on the radio at Ferrari next year.

In theory, the 39-year-old will link up with Riccardo Adami, who’s currently assisting Carlos Sainz. Hamilton previously called Sebastian Vettel to ask about Adami after the German’s stint at Maranello.

But Ferrari won’t hesitate to make a change to get the best out of their drivers. Indeed, they replaced Xavi Marcos with Bryan Bozzi on Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage earlier this year.

As for Bonnington, an entirely different test is in store as he welcomes Kimi Antonelli to the team. Antonelli has signed his Mercedes contract, with an announcement expected soon.

For a time, the Englishman may have been preparing to work with Max Verstappen. But Verstappen’s move to Mercedes fell through and won’t be revisited until next year.

Lewis Hamilton’s ‘non-poaching clause’ stopped Peter Bonnington joining Ferrari

It’s unclear whether or not Hamilton wanted Bonnington to accompany him to Italy. Many naturally made that assumption given their successful partnership – they’ve delivered 84 race wins and six championships.

The two seem to have a close relationship off the track as well. Following an emotional victory at the British GP in July, Hamilton said ‘I love you Bono’ over the team radio.

However, according to BBC Sport, there was never any real prospect of Bonnington making the move. That’s because Hamilton has a ‘non-poaching clause’ in his contract.

He signed a new deal in 2023 but had the option to leave at the end of 2024. It was therefore sensible for Toto Wolff to insert that provision.

How Lewis Hamilton feels after Peter Bonnington staying at Mercedes

Vettel has warned Hamilton about the cultural transition he faces at Ferrari. He’s spent his entire career at British-based outfits, but now he’s joining a team with a truly unique way of working.

The presence of some old colleagues should make that process easier. Ferrari have signed Jerome D’Ambrosio as deputy team principal, and Loic Serra as head of chassis performance and engineering.

Hamilton will address the media about Bonnington’s decision on media day ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. But there doesn’t appear to be any sense of disappointment on his part.

Instead, Hamilton is ‘extremely pleased’ that he received a promotion. He may feel it’s overdue given the CV that ‘Bono’ has built over the last decade or so.