Ferrari has taken legal action to stop ex-technical director Enrico Cardile from joining Aston Martin early, citing a non-compete breach.
We now have more insight into what is delaying Enrico Cardile’s arrival at Aston Martin F1, as we reported yesterday (read here).
Ferrari has taken legal action in a local court to prevent its former technical director from starting work with its competitor.
Cardile, who had been with Maranello for 20 years, left the team last July and has since been on “gardening leave,” a notice period preventing him from working for another team until its completion.
He was set to begin this month—around the same time as Adrian Newey’s first day at the Silverstone factory yesterday—so they could collaborate on the 2026 project.
However, the agreement reportedly reached between Ferrari and Aston Martin F1 on Cardile’s early start date appears to have been broken by the Italian team.
“At Ferrari’s request, the Modena court has ordered its former technical director to immediately cease any form of collaboration with Aston Martin until July 18,” the court told La Repubblica.
And for good reason: Cardile and Aston Martin “breached the non-compete agreement”—the gardening leave—by collaborating before the agreed start date!
La Repubblica cited a court official stating: “The former employee was violating the non-compete commitment made in favor of Ferrari, which was specifically designed to prevent other teams from gaining an unfair competitive advantage, causing irreparable damage to Ferrari.”
The question remains as to how Cardile began working with his new team ahead of schedule and what evidence Ferrari has gathered. The legal proceedings may continue beyond this initial ruling.
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Cardile vs Ferrari: Legal Battle Over F1 Contract Breach Cardile vs Ferrari: Legal Battle Over F1 Contract Breach
