Hamilton to Get New Race Engineer at Ferrari for 2026 Season

Riccardo Adami is stepping down as Lewis Hamilton's race engineer to take on a new role within Ferrari's Driver Academy. The move comes after a season where the pair faced scrutiny over their radio communication, despite the team publicly denying any friction. Ferrari has yet to name a replacement for the crucial trackside position for the 2026 season.

Why it matters:

The bond between a driver and their race engineer is the backbone of performance in Formula 1. As Hamilton aims to maximize his competitiveness with Ferrari, establishing seamless communication and trust with a new engineer will be vital. This change signals Ferrari's strategic adjustments to optimize their championship ambitions following a transitional season.

The details:

• New Role: Adami transitions to "Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and Test Previous Cars Manager," leveraging his extensive trackside experience to develop future talent.
• Past Scrutiny: The partnership was often analyzed due to terse radio exchanges, particularly during a season marked by a sprint victory in China but subsequent Q1 eliminations.
• Team Defense: Both Hamilton and Ferrari's head of track engineering, Matteo Togninalli, dismissed rumors of a strained relationship, noting that external perceptions were often worse than reality.
• History: Adami previously engineered for Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, as well as Daniel Ricciardo during their time at Toro Rosso.

What's next:

Ferrari must now decide whether to promote internally or hire externally to fill the vacancy for car #44. The team stated that the appointment of Hamilton's new race engineer will be announced "in due course" as they prepare for the 2026 campaign.