Report: Key name to leave Ferrari's F1 strategy department

Ignacio Rueda is set to depart Ferrari's Formula 1 strategy set-up,according to a report from Italian media. Corriere dello Sport hasstated that Rueda will no longer be part of Ferrari's strategydepartment when the new season gets underway in Bahrain. The reportadded that Rueda remains on strong terms with Ferrari and willcontinue to be employed by the team, albeit in other departmentsthat may include its sportscar operations. Rueda has been part ofFerrari's F1 set-up for many years, joining as its Head of RaceStrategy in 2015. However, Rueda returned to a factory-based rolein Maranello last year after he was replaced by Ravin Jain. TheMadrid-born engineer still played a key role in the Italian squadthroughout the year, with Ferrari being the only team to defeat RedBull during the campaign when it prevailed at the Singapore GrandPrix. Ferrari's strategy decisions have been called into questionon numerous occasions over the last handful of years, withcriticisms present once again during last year's campaign -particularly at the United States and Abu Dhabi races. Rueda'sdeparture may well signal a shake-up within the team as it looks toreturn to championship-winning form, with its drought stretchingback to the 2008 season. Another major change that will be noticedduring the upcoming campaign is the absence of Laurent Mekies. Theex-Ferrari Deputy Team Principal now runs the day-to-day operationsof AlphaTauri, Red Bull's sister F1 squad.