Ferrari hires Mercedes power unit engineer Jasper van Schaick
Dutch engineer Jasper van Schaick has left Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains after almost eight years to join Ferrari as a chassis vehicle system specialist, according to his own LinkedIn announcement. He worked at Mercedes during Lewis Hamilton's title years.
A late change of plans
Ferrari has added another engineer from the team that currently sets the pace in Formula 1. Jasper van Schaick, a Dutch engineer, has moved from Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, the company that builds the Mercedes engines, to Ferrari's chassis department in Maranello. The move became public through his own LinkedIn post, which was picked up by Crash.net, PlanetF1 and GPFans between 21 and 23 October.
His new title is chassis vehicle system specialist. Van Schaick said he had been preparing to return to the Netherlands after 11 years in the United Kingdom when the Ferrari offer arrived. He called it "a late change of plans". According to PlanetF1, he left Mercedes in May 2026.
Who he is
Van Schaick joined Mercedes HPP in 2018 as a mechanical engineer and worked on the design of power unit systems, in close contact with the chassis side. In September 2024 he became a concept engineer, developing ideas for future power units while continuing to work with the chassis team.
His years at Mercedes overlapped with Lewis Hamilton's last three titles with Mercedes in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Crash.net notes that Hamilton, who now drives for Ferrari, is therefore reunited with an engineer from his old team. Neither report says the two worked directly together.
In his post he wrote that working towards winning races and championships "never gets old" and that it was time to push for a world championship again with the team.
What it could mean for Ferrari
His background combines power unit design with chassis integration. GPFans describes the hire as part of a series of signings as Ferrari rebuild their power unit department for 2027.
The reports are based on his LinkedIn post; none of them quotes a statement from Ferrari or Mercedes.
By the numbers
Ferrari have the strongest record behind Mercedes in our 2026 race data. Through 17 grands prix Mercedes have won 11 races and stood on the podium 22 times. Ferrari have won two races and taken 11 podium finishes, level with Red Bull on both counts. The next race is the United States Grand Prix in Austin on 25 October.
