Enrico Cardile’s move to Aston Martin was first announced in July last year, with the expectation that he would take on his new role in time for the 2025 season. However, months passed without an official start date, leaving many puzzled.

Now, it has emerged that legal proceedings in Italy were the reason for the delay, as Ferrari sought to enforce a contractual clause preventing Cardile from working with a rival team before his gardening leave expired.

Ferrari took the matter to the Court of Modena, arguing that Cardile had already begun supporting Aston Martin in violation of his contract. The court ruled in Ferrari’s favor, barring him from collaborating with the Silverstone-based outfit until July 18.

In a statement issued to The Race, Ferrari explained:  “With reference to the recent news regarding the timing of Enrico Cardile’s arrival at Aston Martin, Ferrari clarifies that a few weeks ago the Court of Modena, upholding the requests of the Company, ordered Enrico Cardile to immediately cease any form of collaboration with Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team until next July 18.

“In this urgent procedural phase, the Court of Modena found that our former employee was already violating the non-compete commitment with Ferrari, whose purpose was precisely to prevent other F1 teams from gaining an unjustified competitive advantage by hiring Cardile earlier than allowed, causing irreparable harm to Ferrari.”

At Aston Martin, Cardile was set to oversee factory-based development as part of the team’s leadership restructure ahead of pre-season testing. However, with the legal ruling now in place, Aston Martin will have to wait until mid-July before Cardile can officially take up his new position and join Adrian Newey.