Ferrari yet to finalize Lewis Hamilton's new race engineer

Hamilton expects another change a few races into the 2026 F1 season

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Ferrari is still yet to announce a replacement for Lewis Hamilton's race engineer, less than a month until the new F1 season starts. Hamilton has been working with Carlo Santi, who previously worked as a race engineer at Ferrari, as an interim solution, but expects another change early in the 2026 season.

Why it matters

The race engineer is a critical role, serving as the primary point of contact for a driver throughout a race. Hamilton had a close relationship with his previous race engineer at Mercedes, and the lack of a long-term replacement at Ferrari could be detrimental to his performance in the 2026 season.

The details

Ferrari announced last month that Hamilton's race engineer for 2025, Riccardo Adami, had been moved into a new role in the company. Hamilton said it was 'a very difficult decision to make' and that the current interim solution with Santi is 'only going to be a few races.' Discussions are ongoing to finalize a long-term replacement for Hamilton on Ferrari's pit wall.

  • Ferrari announced Adami's move in January 2026.
  • The 2026 F1 season begins on March 8 in Australia.
  • Hamilton has been working with Carlo Santi through the first two preseason tests in Barcelona and Bahrain.

The players

Lewis Hamilton

A seven-time Formula 1 world champion who joined Ferrari in 2025 after 12 years with Mercedes.

Riccardo Adami

Hamilton's race engineer at Ferrari in 2025, who has been moved into a new role within the company.

Carlo Santi

A Ferrari engineer who previously worked as a race engineer with 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen, and is currently serving as an interim race engineer for Hamilton.

Peter Bonnington

Hamilton's long-time race engineer at Mercedes, who did not follow him to Ferrari and now works with Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.

Kimi Antonelli

The current Mercedes race engineer, working alongside Peter Bonnington.

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What they’re saying

“It's actually quite a difficult period, because it's not long-term, the solution that we currently have. It's only going to be a few races (that Santi will act as an interim race engineer). Early on into the season, it's going to be switching up again, and I'm going to have to learn from someone and work with someone new.”

— Lewis Hamilton (nytimes.com)

“It's such a divided time. I saw the Grenadian flag, he had flags of all the other (countries) and parts of the United States, saying that we're all one. I thought it was really great messaging, and I don't think anybody I've ever watched and seen do the half time show has ever done that.”

— Lewis Hamilton (nytimes.com)

What’s next

Discussions are ongoing to finalize a long-term replacement for Hamilton on Ferrari's pit wall, as the team continues to evaluate who will fill the race engineer position in collaboration with the seven-time world champion.

The takeaway

The lack of a stable, long-term race engineer relationship for Hamilton at Ferrari could be a significant challenge as he looks to bounce back from a difficult first season with the team in 2026. Developing strong communication and trust with his race engineer is crucial for a driver's performance.