Despite Tense Season, Hamilton and Ferrari Race Engineer Adami to Continue in 2026

After a season fraught with communication issues and on-air frustration, Lewis Hamilton will reportedly retain Riccardo Adami as his Ferrari race engineer for the 2026 season. The decision comes despite Hamilton's public call for changes to his team environment and widespread speculation that Adami would be replaced. This move signals Ferrari's commitment to giving the driver-engineer pairing more time to gel ahead of a crucial title challenge.

Why it matters:

The driver-engineer relationship is the critical link between the driver on track and the team's strategy and engineering on the pit wall. For a team like Ferrari, aiming to end its championship drought with a seven-time world champion, a dysfunctional partnership could sabotage their entire 2026 campaign. Hamilton's ability to trust and communicate effectively with his engineer is paramount for extracting maximum performance from the car, especially during high-pressure race situations.

The details:

• Season-Long Struggles: The partnership has been under the microscope since Hamilton's Ferrari debut, with radio exchanges often described as clumsy and out of sync, frequently leading to a frustrated Hamilton.
• Demand for Change: Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton urged Ferrari to make changes to his personal team structure, hinting his future cooperation depended on it.
• Awkward Conclusion: The season ended with a tense radio moment after the final race, where Hamilton's emotional message to the team was met with silence, prompting him to voice his frustration before Adami quickly apologized.
• The Decision: Contrary to expectations, a report from Autoracer.it states the decision to keep Adami was made during a post-season dinner, giving the pairing another year to find its footing.

What's next:

The onus is now on both Hamilton and Adami to rapidly improve their working relationship ahead of the 2026 season. Ferrari is banking on continuity and the hope that the initial friction was a product of a new pairing adjusting to each other, rather than a fundamental incompatibility. All eyes will be on their communication during pre-season testing and the early races of 2026 to see if this gamble by the Scuderia pays off.