Lewis Hamilton Looks Ahead to 2026 with New Race Engineer at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton will have a new race engineer in Formula 1 as Ferrari reshuffles its trackside staff following the British driver’s difficult debut season with the Italian team. Riccardo Adami , who previously worked closely with Hamilton, has been moved to a new role within Ferrari’s driver academy and will oversee test runs in older F1 cars . Ferrari has yet to announce Hamilton’s replacement .

Race engineers are a crucial link between drivers and their teams on the track, advising on car setup , strategy , and race incidents . Hamilton’s radio exchanges with Adami came under scrutiny during the 2025 season , marked by frustrations over information overload and strategic delays .

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion , denied any personal issues with Adami, who previously worked with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel . However, several on-track exchanges hinted at tension . In their first race together at the Australian Grand Prix , Hamilton asked Adami to “leave me to it,” feeling distracted by excessive information . During the Miami Grand Prix , he questioned whether the team might be taking a “ tea break ” as strategy decisions lagged. At the Monaco Grand Prix , Hamilton seemed unsure of Adami’s reactions to his queries over team instructions .

The 2025 season was historically challenging for Hamilton, as he failed to finish on the podium in any Grand Prix —his first season without a podium finish since joining Ferrari from Mercedes .

In a statement , Ferrari expressed gratitude for Adami’s contributions in his trackside role and wished him success in his new position , without directly mentioning Hamilton. The team confirmed that the appointment of Hamilton’s new race engineer will be announced “ in due course .”

Hamilton and Ferrari now look forward to preseason testing later this month, hoping a fresh setup and communication dynamic can help the seven-time champion bounce back in 2026 .