Mercedes' engine guru Andy Cowell could make the switch to Ferrari, according to a respected Italian journalist.

Before getting his promotion at Mercedes in 2013, Cowell reportedly began flirting with a move to Maranello.

"He changed his mind after the resignation of Stefano Domenicali," claims Corriere dello Sport's Daniele Sparisci.

"Now he is free again and the courtship is likely to restart, even though in this hyper-complex F1 it is not a single name that makes the difference.

"But Ferrari needs new methods, new ideas and more advanced tools to get back to the top. It's a long path out of the hellish situation of now," Sparisci added.

Another Italian newspaper, Tuttosport, agrees, declaring after Spa: "This is no longer about a crisis. The whole system needs to be rethought."

Sparisci continued: "It is necessary to create the conditions so that, in these turbulent years of purges and restructuring, many - especially foreigners - have said no to Ferrari."