Hamilton calls Ferrari engineer swap 'very difficult decision'
Lewis Hamilton opens up about the tough call to change race engineers at Ferrari after a difficult first season with the team. He will start 2026 working provisionally with Carlos Santi, Kimi Räikkönen's former engineer, as he seeks better chemistry and performance.
Lewis Hamilton has described his split with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami as a "very difficult decision," acknowledging the communication struggles that plagued his challenging first season with the Scuderia. The seven-time champion will begin the 2026 season working with a new, provisional engineer as the team reshuffles its personnel.
Why it matters:
The relationship between a driver and their race engineer is one of the most critical partnerships in Formula 1, directly impacting strategy, car setup, and in-race performance. Hamilton's difficult debut year at Ferrari, marked by a reported lack of chemistry with Adami, underscores how vital this synergy is for a driver, especially one adapting to a new team and culture after over a decade at Mercedes.
The details:
- Ferrari announced last month that Riccardo Adami, Hamilton's 2025 race engineer, was being moved to a new role as Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and Test Previous Cars Manager.
- Hamilton expressed gratitude for Adami's effort and patience during a "difficult year for us all" but confirmed the change was necessary.
- During pre-season testing in Barcelona, Hamilton worked with Bryan Bozzi, who normally engineers Charles Leclerc and remains with the Monegasque driver for 2026.
- For the Bahrain Grand Prix and beyond, Hamilton will be paired with Carlos Santi, the former race engineer for Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari. This arrangement is currently provisional, with no decision yet on whether Santi will complete the entire season.
What's next:
Hamilton faces the immediate challenge of building a new working relationship mid-preparation for the season opener. He acknowledged the ideal scenario is to start a season with a settled, experienced partnership but stated the team is doing its best with the current situation. His performance in the Bahrain test, where he finished fourth-fastest and completed 52 laps, provides an initial baseline as this new collaboration begins under the spotlight of immense expectation for his second Ferrari campaign.