Simone Resta has been promoted as the new Vice Technical Director of the team. He will work alongside James Allison.
Exciting news from Mercedes! Just two months ahead of the first race of the 2025 season, the team, led by Toto Wolff, has made a significant leadership change. It was announced just hours ago that Simone Resta has been promoted to Deputy Technical Director. Resta, who was let go by Ferrari during Mattia Binotto’s tenure (when he was “loaned” to Haas, a team he parted ways with at the beginning of 2024), will now contribute to shaping the future of Mercedes for the 2025 season. The news was confirmed by Resta himself, as he updated the description on his LinkedIn profile.
Resta will take on his new role with the confidence of partnering with James Allison, another engineer who also had an unceremonious exit from Ferrari but has since become a legend within the Mercedes team. This pairing marks a reunion exactly 10 years after their first collaboration when Allison and Resta worked together on the Ferrari SF-15T—the first car developed under the leadership of Maurizio Arrivabene, President Sergio Marchionne, and driver Sebastian Vettel. This promotion gives Simone Resta the opportunity to design a Mercedes car for the first time—the upcoming W16. After spending the latter part of 2024 as Strategic Development Director and Deputy Technical Director, Resta now takes a crucial step forward.
A proud moment for Italian Engineering on the global stage. Resta’s promotion is another milestone for Italian engineering talent, which continues to shine even beyond Ferrari’s sphere of influence. With this role, Resta firmly establishes himself at the top of the German constructor’s hierarchy, shouldering greater responsibilities, particularly in enhancing on-track performance. Mercedes hasn’t been in contention for the championship for three consecutive seasons, making Resta’s contributions even more pivotal.
Following the recent announcement of Kimi Antonelli as a future driver alongside George Russell, Toto Wolff is clearly doubling down on a strategy rooted in “Italian excellence,” which is expected to bear fruit sooner rather than later.
Photo: Simone Resta Linkedin, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team