Aldo Costa to leave Mercedes for Dallara

Key man in the success of Mercedes-AMG F1 in F1 since the advent of the V6 turbo/hybrid Power Units era in 2014, the Italian Aldo Costa will end his collaboration with the German team at the end of the month, before joining the Dallara entity at the beginning of 2020 as technical director.

Previously integrated into the Team Ferrari since 1995, Costa notably worked alongside Rory Byrne as an assistant designer of the single-seaters that dominated F1 in the heart of the 2000s. Hired by Mercedes in the second part of 2011, the native of Parma will chair to the creation of the W05 Hybrid and its descendants leading Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to world titles since 2014.

Aldo Costa, 58, had already taken a step back from his role within Mercedes by becoming a “simple” technical advisor last year, in order to spend more time with his family. 2020 will therefore mark a new challenge for one of the major technicians of the last twenty years in F1.

« Since leaving my role as Technical Director, I have had the pleasure of supporting the team during this season and I was also looking for my next challenge beyond Formula 1, Costa comments.

After several years at the top of our sport, I’m excited to be able to bring some of what I’ve learned to other series and successful automotive projects outside of racing.

I remember writing to Giampaolo (Dallara, founder of the entity) at the very beginning of my career to find a job. At the time, there was nothing available, but he was able to open some doors for me in the industry.

Today, many years later, I feel like things have come full circle and I am proud to join this iconic company in Italian motorsport.

One of my passions is to mentor and develop young talents. For me, it will be about helping to attract and grow the next generations of Italian talent at Dallara in the years to come.

Finally, thank you once again to all my friends and colleagues at Mercedes. Being part of the team’s development and success has been an extraordinary privilege. We have also been able to build an incredibly powerful group to meet the challenges of the future. »

“Aldo has been one of the pillars of our team since his arrival in 2011 and he now leaves us with the same dignity and professionalism that characterized his years with us, highlights Toto wolff, Team Principal of Mercedes-AMG F1.

He wanted to return to Italy to spend more time with his family and still has plenty of energy and skills to contribute to the motorsport community.

His new role within Dallara represents a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted that he has found such a rewarding role to further his career and bring his knowledge to almost every level of global motorsport. »