One of Lewis Hamilton’s closest allies in the Formula 1 paddock has confirmed he has joined a new team, just days after it emerged that he and the seven-time world champion were parting ways. Hours after news broke that Hamilton is dating Kim Kardashian, it was reported that the Brit had split from one of his closest professional partners.

He has been appointed the team’s chief racing officer, which Cadillac say will involve “working to ensure peak performance throughout the team’s racing operations”. Hynes is also set to work closely with race drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, while also managing the outfit’s driver development programme which currently consists of reserve Zhou Guanyu and test driver Colton Herta.

“Building a new team in Formula 1 is a rare challenge and I’m excited to help shape the culture, processes, and performance standards from the very beginning,” he said. “We have a strong and diverse driver line-up, and my focus will be on creating the clarity, alignment, and discipline needed to allow everyone – drivers and engineers alike – to perform at their very best.”

Team principal Graeme Lowdon added: “Marc brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, strategic understanding, and people management to the team. His ability to connect drivers, engineers, and leadership will be critical as we establish ourselves on the grid. As we enter our debut season, having someone of Marc’s calibre guiding our racing operations is a major asset for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team.”

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Hynes previously had two separate spells working with Hamilton, the first of which saw him form part of the Brit’s entourage while also serving, for a time, as chief executive of Project 44, the racer’s business management company. He is also listed on Companies House as having been a director of Lewis Hamilton Ventures Ltd from 2016 until his resignation in January 2021.

Hynes isn’t the only person to depart from Hamilton’s close circle of allies at Ferrari in recent weeks. His press officer Ella has exited the team after just a year as the Brit’s personal media guru, which came after an internal restructuring which saw long-serving head of PR, Sylvia Hoffer Frangipane, moved into another role within Ferrari but away from the F1 team.

His former race engineer, Riccardo Adami, has also been moved around internally after a year of several flashpoints over the radio which had suggested that he and Hamilton were not a good fit working together. His permanent replacement has yet to be announced with conflicting reports over who it may be, with some suggestions performance engineer Luca Diella might get the job, and other reports claiming Ferrari are looking to poach Cedric-Michel Grosjean from McLaren.