Ferrari says race engineer swap won’t derail Hamilton
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says swapping Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer from Riccardo Adami to Carlo Santi will have little impact. Vasseur emphasizes the team’s depth over any single role.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the upcoming change of Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer won’t be a game‑changer for the seven‑time champion. Hamilton confirmed that losing Riccardo Adami early in the season would be “detrimental”, but Vasseur urged the media to stop blowing the story out of proportion.
Why it matters:
- Consistency between driver and engineer can shave tenths off lap times, a margin that often decides podiums.
The details:
- Riccardo Adami, Hamilton’s first Ferrari race engineer, will be reassigned after a few races; Carlo Santi will take over on a temporary basis.
- Hamilton told reporters, “It’s only going to be a few races… I’ll have to learn to work with someone new, so that’s detrimental to me too.” Vasseur replied, “The collaboration with Lewis is very good and we’re focused on improving every day.”
- Vasseur added, “You have 1,500 people, six or seven new engineers each year, and it’s never about one individual. The pit‑wall engineer leads a crew of six, not the whole team.”
What’s next:
Ferrari will fine‑tune the pit‑wall crew while Hamilton adapts to Santi’s style. If the driver‑engineer link clicks quickly, qualifying and race strategy should stay on track. If not, early points loss could widen the championship gap in a tight fight.