Aston Martin snap up key member of Alfa’s tech team

Aston Martin has brought Alfa Romeo’s chief designer, Luca Furbatto to the team – to take on the role of engineering director.

Furbatto already has 20 years’ experience working within F1, taking in spells with McLaren, Toro Rosso and Manor before moving to the Sauber Group as chief designer in 2017, leading the design efforts of Sauber and, latterly, Alfa Romeo in that time.

Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has made no secret of the team’s future ambitions of wanting to win a World Championship by 2026, by expanding the team’s current workforce from around 535 people up to 800.

Furbatto said about his arrival: “It is very exciting to join Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team as engineering director.

“It is a project that has all the ingredients for success – committed leadership, a talented workforce, and fresh investment in resources.

“I am looking forward to playing my part in establishing this team at the very top of the sport.”

Szafnauer added: “As we continue to add weight to our technical team, we are hugely excited that Luca Furbatto has chosen to join Aston Martin.

“Working with our existing engineering group, he will bring a valuable perspective and knowledge to help shape our approach in the short and medium term.

“This appointment coincides with Andrew Green stepping up to a new role where he will take a global perspective on the company’s mid to long-term technical strategy.”

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Green, who moves to the role of chief technical officer and to whom Furbatto will report to within the team, said: “The recruitment of Luca Furbatto adds an exceptionally talented engineer to our technical team.

“He brings a vast amount of experience with him built up from more than two decades in the sport spent at several leading Formula 1 teams.

“This is the first of many key appointments we are making in line with our ambition to establish Aston Martin… at the front of the grid.”

Unlike other teams whose adherence to the new budget caps in Formula 1 will rely on downsizing, Aston Martin’s strategy is to be able to grow their team around the cap and head towards a level of spending that will take them up to the new limit of what is allowed in the sport.

Sebastian Vettel scored his and the team’s first podium of the season last time out in Azerbaijan, with the Silverstone-based team looking to keep climbing up the standings in Formula 1’s congested midfield battle.

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