Ferrari hires Lotus' Head of Aerodynamics

Ferrari have reportedly made another key appointment this year as the team managed to sign Dirk De Beer, Lotus' current head of aerodynamics. He is expected to begin work at the end of the year.

The news was revealed by Autosport but neither team have officially confirmed the news. Lotus F1 commented to us that "Dirk De Beer still works at the company". Until further notice that is.

The signature would follow that of James Allison who was first seen at Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix one week ago. Allison was technical director at Lotus until the beginning of the year before joining Ferrari to work alongside Pat Fry.

De Beer is a South African and has been head of aerodynamics for a considerable time at the Enstone based team. He already worked with Fernando Alonso when he was still at ING Renault in 2009.

The singature would be remarkable, as Lotus' ongoing search for money appears to weigh on its squad. At the same time, Ferrari have now taken over from Mercedes as the main team hiring people from elsewhere, while the Scuderia has historically always preferred to hire people from within Italy.

Ongoing pressure however has forced Ferrari to do something in an attempt to return to championship winning ways. Alonso has become somewhat frustrated in recent months with his efforts being unrewarded, and with Kimi Raikkonen joined next year, the team is obliged to deliver a quality car. Whether that will be possible is another problem however, as Ferrari have been remarkably quiet about their new V6 turbo engine.