Lewis Hamilton concerned Ferrari's mid-season engineer swap could harm 2026 campaign

Lewis Hamilton has expressed concern that Ferrari's plan to change his race engineer again after just a few races could be 'detrimental' to his 2026 Formula 1 season. The seven-time champion, who is working with Carlo Santi at the Bahrain test, revealed this arrangement is only temporary, forcing him to adapt to a third different engineer in less than two years at the Scuderia.

Why it matters:

The race engineer is a driver's most critical strategic partner during a Grand Prix, responsible for real-time strategy, tire management, and morale. Constant changes disrupt the development of the non-verbal communication and deep trust required for split-second decisions. For Hamilton, who enjoyed 12 years of stability with Peter 'Bono' Bonnington at Mercedes, this instability at Ferrari threatens to undermine his crucial second season with the team as he seeks a return to the podium and a title challenge.

The details:

• Hamilton's first Ferrari engineer, Riccardo Adami, was moved to a different role within the team after a difficult 2025 season that yielded zero podiums. Their partnership was marked by public miscommunications and strategic disagreements.
• Carlo Santi, an experienced engineer who previously worked with Kimi Räikkönen, has taken over but is confirmed to be only a short-term solution for the opening races.
• Hamilton did not name his permanent engineer but acknowledged the mid-season switch will force another period of adjustment. Speculation points to Cedric Michel-Grosjean, Oscar Piastri's former lead trackside performance engineer at McLaren, who has been linked to the role.
• The British driver emphasized the value of long-term partnerships, stating a successful season requires working with people who have "been through thick and thin."

What's next:

The situation places immediate pressure on both Hamilton and Ferrari's management to minimize disruption.

• Hamilton will need to rapidly build rapport with Santi, knowing their working relationship has an expiration date within the first part of the championship.
• Ferrari must execute a seamless handover to the permanent engineer to avoid compounding the instability. How quickly Hamilton can gel with his third engineer in as many seasons will be a significant subplot to his 2026 performance and Ferrari's constructors' championship ambitions.