Enrico Cardile is one of the key players in the immediate future of Aston Martin. The engineer, specialised in aerodynamics, had worked for Ferrari since graduating in aerospace engineering at the University of Pisa in 2002, until he was hired by Aston Martin in July 2024 to work as new Chief Technical Officer, reporting to legend Adrian Newey, and replacing Andrew Green. The 50-year-old Italian wasn't allowed to legally start working on Aston Martin until one full year later due to legal issues.
Speaking at the Beyond the Grid podcast (via ScuderiaFans), Cardile spoke about his initial feelings in one of Formula 1's most ambitious teams, hoping that the 2026 regulation changes in Formula 1 bring the opportunity to put an end a poor series of results and fight for wins and even world titles with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Cardile thinks that the way British people "react to problems" is a key difference compared to how the Italians work, and that gives them the edge. "In England, people are less emotional, and I think that's a real strength. It's one thing to have passion for what you do, and another to let emotions take over when you're under pressure or when problems arise. Here, people stay calm, focused, and they don't lose sight of the final goal".
Aston Martin still working to reach Ferrari's level
After two decades working in Maranello, switching to Silverstone is a great change. Cardile seems happy, even saying he loves living in England "despite the weather", and further explained the differences between the two teams.
"Between Ferrari and Aston Martin, I can sense some clear differences. I can't share too many details right now. On one hand, Ferrari is a well-established company, with highly refined processes and systems that have been developed over decades. At Aston Martin, we are still working to reach that level, and there's a lot of optimization still to be done."
Do you think Aston Martin will be a competitive team next year in Formula 1?