BMW has confirmed the appointment of Roberto Fedeli, the former R&D chief of Ferrari who had a sparkling 26-year technical career at Maranello.
It’s a further sign of change at the top of Ferrari, in the wake of president Luca di Montezemolo’s departure. He quit this week, squeezed out by Fiat overlord Sergio Marchionne in a shake-up of the corridors of power of Italy’s biggest car making conglomerate.
What will Roberto Fedeli do at BMW?
No news yet. CAR magazine contacted BMW today to ask what role he would be fulfilling in Munich, but it has yet to announce the nature of his job.
However, Fedeli is an expert in lightweight construction materials (Ferrari’s numerous aluminium and composite cars), hybrid powertrains (LaFerrari) and supercars in general (any recent Ferrari!).
Many of those specialisms will be relevant working at BMW. Automotive News Europe reported this week that Fedeli was likely to work at the company’s high-performance M division or possibly Rolls-Royce.
Fedeli will join BMW in November 2014. He is replaced at Ferrari by chief technological officer Michael Leiters, who joined Maranello from Porsche in January 2014.
The Ferrari brain drain
Fedeli left Ferrari on 13 September, Maranello confirmed. Officials say that his departure was entirely unrelated to do Montezemolo’s exit.
The charismatic leader, nicknamed LDM after his initials, left Ferrari yesterday afternoon. Two thousand staff gathered to give him a tearful farewell.
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