Lewis Hamilton has been reunited with a familiar technical figure at Ferrari after the Scuderia appointed Jasper van Schaick, a Dutch engineer who spent nearly eight years at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains during the team’s dominant championship years. Van Schaick has taken up the role of chassis vehicle systems specialist in Maranello, linking up once again with the seven-time world champion he previously supported from the power-unit side.
The appointment adds experienced engineering depth to Ferrari at a stage of the season when every incremental gain carries extra weight.
### VAN SCHAICK’S MERCEDES BACKGROUND
Van Schaick joined Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in 2018 as a mechanical engineer. Over the following years he contributed to the design and integration of power-unit systems, working closely with the chassis department to optimise installation, reduce friction and maintain reliability. His tenure covered the period in which Hamilton secured the 2018, 2019 and 2020 world titles.
In 2024 he was promoted to concept engineer, focusing on new performance ideas for the power unit while continuing to collaborate with chassis teams on integration. He remained in that role until May 2026 before making the switch to Ferrari.
### A LATE CHANGE OF PLANS
The move to Maranello was not part of Van Schaick’s original intentions. He had been preparing to return to the Netherlands after 11 years in the United Kingdom when Ferrari’s offer prompted a sudden change of direction.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the appointment, he wrote: “After getting all things in order to return to the Netherlands, following 11 years in the UK, a late change of plans! Engineering bits for a Formula 1 race car is fantastic. Collectively working to the same goal of winning races and championships never gets old. Something I would have missed if I would return to the Netherlands.
“I am really happy and grateful to share that I have started at Scuderia Ferrari. Time to push for a world championship again with the team. I’ll try my best.”
### WHY THE APPOINTMENT MATTERS FOR FERRARI
Ferrari have spent much of 2026 dealing with a power-unit deficit relative to Mercedes and Red Bull. Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have publicly acknowledged the straight-line disadvantage. While Van Schaick’s new role sits in the chassis department rather than the engine group, his extensive experience of power-unit integration and system optimisation is directly relevant to extracting greater overall performance from the package.
Ferrari have already introduced multiple upgrade packages this season. Bringing in an engineer with recent, high-level experience from a rival organisation reflects a continued effort to strengthen the technical group across departments.
### A FAMILIAR CONNECTION FOR HAMILTON
Hamilton left Mercedes at the end of 2025 to begin his Ferrari chapter. The arrival of an engineer who operated inside the championship-winning environment of his later Mercedes years creates a point of continuity. It does not guarantee immediate results, but it adds another layer of shared technical understanding within the team.
### LOOKING AHEAD
One engineering appointment will not transform Ferrari’s competitive position overnight. What it does signal is a willingness to recruit proven talent from outside and to keep refining the organisation. With the constructors’ gap to Mercedes still significant and the drivers’ championship led by Kimi Antonelli, Ferrari need progress across every area of the car.
Van Schaick has made his motivation clear: he wants to work toward race wins and championships again. At Ferrari that ambition aligns with the team’s own targets, even if the scale of the challenge remains considerable. For Hamilton, it means another familiar face in the technical group as the Scuderia continue their efforts to close the gap at the front of the grid.
