Mercedes hire former F1 racer and FE boss as driver development director

Mercedes have appointed former Formula 1 driver and Formula E team boss Jerome d'Ambrosio as their new driver development director.

D'Ambrosio has been spotted in the pits several times with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. However, it was always reported that his presence was due to his good relationship with the team and that he was there purely in an informal role.

Wolff, though, did hint that something concrete could be worked out in the future. Ahead of the 2023 pre-season test in Bahrain, he had said (via Motorsport.com):

"He's been in Formula E, and he's been a team principal of Venturi and finished second in the championship. And he's here as a friend; he's observing. Maybe something in the future, but not yet."

D'Ambrosio had raced for Marussia Virgin and Lotus in F1. Having retired from racing at the end of the 2019-20 season, the Belgian has been working in FE with Venturi Racing, where he was the team principal from November 2021. He helped them to a runner-up finish in the 2021-22 FE season before parting ways as the team transitioned to Maserati.

Mercedes have now confirmed that D'Ambrosio has taken up a formal role with them, according to Motorsport.com. He's expected to look after the host of young drivers the Silver Arrows have on their books, not just in F1 but across categories globally.

James Vowles was previously overseeing these duties before he moved to Williams Racing at the end of 2022 to become their team principal.

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With small improvements to car, Mercedes looking to 'maximise' opportunities in Jeddah

Mercedes have struggled to get the best out of their car for the second straight season. Last year, they struggled with porpoising, among other things, finishing a distant third in the constructors' standings, behind Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari.

Despite being confident of getting their 2023 car right, the team were served a reality check at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished almost a minute behind winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Mercedes are now set to bring small upgrades to the W14 at the Saudi Arabian GP this weekend at a track that's expected to be kind to their car. It has been widely reported that these upgrades would be the first in a long list of planned ones as the season progresses.