Lewis Hamilton parts ways with manager Marc Hynes ahead of 2026 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton has split from his manager, Marc Hynes, as the seven-time world champion prepares for his second season with Ferrari. The move follows Hynes's decision to take a new role with the Cadillac F1 team, marking another change in Hamilton's inner circle after a difficult 2025 campaign.

Why it matters:

Hamilton is in a critical phase of rebuilding his competitive framework after the worst statistical season of his career. Splitting with a key personal manager, coupled with a recent change in his race engineer at Ferrari, signals a significant restructuring of his support team as he seeks a return to form. For a driver of his caliber, optimizing every element—on and off the track—is essential for a potential final championship push.

The details:

• Marc Hynes, a former British F3 champion, was previously the CEO of Hamilton's Project 44 company from 2015 to 2021. Hamilton brought him back into his management team in early 2024 after confirming his move to Ferrari.
• Hynes is set to join the Cadillac F1 project. He has existing ties to the team through his role in Zhou Guanyu's management team and his relationship with Cadillac Team Principal Graeme Lowdon.
• This managerial shift is part of a broader reshuffle around Hamilton. Ferrari recently confirmed he will have a new race engineer for 2026, with Riccardo Adami moving to a different role within the Scuderia.
• Cedric Michel-Grosjean, formerly Oscar Piastri's lead trackside performance engineer at McLaren, is the reported favorite to become Hamilton's new race engineer.
• Hamilton hinted at these internal reviews after the 2025 finale in Abu Dhabi, stating he would analyze everything from on-track performance to the efficiency of his personal team's travel and operations.

What's next:

All eyes will be on whether these structural changes translate into improved performance. Hamilton's priority is to reverse the momentum of a 2025 season that saw him fail to secure a single podium and suffer a string of difficult qualifying sessions. The integration of a new race engineer and a refined personal team structure will be tested from the first winter tests. For Hynes, the move to Cadillac aligns him with a new manufacturer entry as it ramps up its preparations for a 2026 grid debut.