Former Hamilton engineer joins Bathurst-winning Supercars squad

Grove Racing has signed former Ferrari lieutenant Riccardo Corte as young gun Kai Allen’s 2026 race engineer in a personnel shuffle at the 2025 Bathurst-winning team.

Allen’s current race engineer, Alistair McVean, will be promoted to the new role of head of performance in a series of moves following news principal David Cauchi will quit Grove at the end of the season.

Corte was most recently Lewis Hamilton performance engineer, a role he held until July’s British Grand Prix. He was replaced by Luca Diella from the following round in Belgium, before the Formula 1 midseason break.

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Before Hamilton, the Italian was also Carlos Sainz’s performance engineer and Charles Leclerc’s driver coach, roles he came to following a stint as a race performance simulation engineer, which saw him prepare car set-up options for Ferrari ahead of each grand prix.

In a move precipitated by Corte being sidelined from his performance engineering duties at Ferrari after more than a decade in Maranello — and not a case of the Italian engineer dumping seven-time champion Hamilton — the Italian engineer has chosen to bring his Formula 1 experience Down Under in a boost to the surging Grove team’s aspirations for 2026, when he will replace McVean as Allen’s race engineer on a long-term contract.

“I’m really proud to be joining Grove Racing at such an exciting time for the team,” he said. “The progress they’ve made in recent seasons is impressive, and the Bathurst 1000 win shows what’s possible with the right people and mindset.

“After 11 years at Ferrari F1, I’m looking forward to bringing that experience into Supercars, helping the team keep pushing forward and maximising every opportunity on track.”

Team owner Stephen Grove said Corte’s induction was a sign of Grove’s growing stature in the sport.

“Riccardo’s appointment represents another major step forward for Grove Racing,” he said. “His 11 years of experience at Ferrari F1 and his work as Lewis Hamilton’s performance engineer earlier this year bring incredible depth and understanding to our program.

“We’re proud to welcome him to the team, and it speaks to the calibre of people we have at Grove Racing.”

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CEO Brenton Grove said Corte’s engineering background would help take the team’s performance to the next level.

“Riccardo’s background at Ferrari gives him a unique perspective on vehicle dynamics, simulation and race-weekend execution at the absolute highest level,” he said.

“His addition to the team allows us to test ourselves against the most sophisticated motorsport category in the world to ensure we remain innovative and at the peak of our game.”

McVean said he was looking forward to taking on a broader scope as head of performance in 2026.

“It’s an exciting step to move into this role and continue shaping the engineering direction of Grove Racing,” he said.

“We’ve built strong foundations, and my focus is on refining our tools, processes and people so we can keep lifting our standards and extracting every bit of performance possible.”

CEO Grove said McVean’s elevation and Corte’s impending arrival meant the team had the ideal engineering set-up for the coming seasons.

“Al’s technical experience adds an engineering depth that strengthens every part of our program,” he said. “Working alongside Jack [Bell, Matt Payne’s engineer], Riccardo and the wider engineering group, he’ll help ensure our race engineers have the tools, data, and structure needed for consistent excellence.

“This role is a key part of building a sustainable, high-performance foundation for the future.”

The announcement follows news that team principal Cauchi will quit the team at the end of his fourth year at Grove to “take on a new opportunity” elsewhere in motorsport.

“The past four years with Grove Racing have been some of the most rewarding of my career,” Cauchi said. “To play a part in the team’s growth and to celebrate a Bathurst win together is something I’ll always be proud of.

“After a lot of discussion with Steve and Brenton, I feel the timing is right to take on a new opportunity beyond 2025.

“The team is in a fantastic place and well positioned for the future, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strongly before starting my next chapter. I’m extremely grateful to the entire Grove family for the trust and support they’ve shown me throughout this journey.”

On Cauchi’s watch the team has risen to second in the championship standings this year, more than 300 points clear of next-best Tickford Racing in third. It trails Triple Eight by 883 points.

Both Payne and Allen are in championship contention after finishing inside the top seven following the first round of the finals series in the Gold Coast.