F1 Fans Back Ferrari’s Decision to Replace Lewis Hamilton’s Race Engineer

Formula 1 fans have overwhelmingly supported Ferrari’s bold decision to replace Riccardo Adami as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer ahead of the 2026 season.

Adami, who previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz Jr., has been reassigned to a role within the Ferrari Driver Academy and the TPC programme after a challenging first season for Lewis Hamilton with the Scuderia. The move reflects Ferrari’s determination to optimize the seven-time world champion’s performance as the team prepares for the highly anticipated 2026 campaign.

Throughout 2025, there were early signs of friction between Lewis Hamilton and Riccardo Adami, which is common when a driver and engineer are forming a new partnership. However, even during the Abu Dhabi finale, moments on the radio suggested that Hamilton and Adami had not fully developed a seamless working relationship, with Lewis Hamilton repeating instructions multiple times.

The identity of Lewis Hamilton’s third race engineer in just three seasons—following Peter Bonnington at Mercedes in 2024 and Riccardo Adami in 2025—has yet to be revealed, coming only weeks before pre-season testing and the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8th. The selection of the right engineer will be crucial to ensure the Briton can extract maximum performance from the SF-26 under the new regulations.

According to a recent poll conducted by RacingNews365, an overwhelming 91.53% of voters agreed that Ferrari made the correct call in replacing Adami, signaling strong fan backing for the Scuderia’s decision. Only 8.47% felt that Ferrari had acted prematurely or unfairly.

Some fans defended Riccardo Adami, highlighting his past successes with other drivers. One user noted that it was unfortunate for a seasoned engineer to shoulder criticism for Lewis Hamilton not meeting certain expectations. Another argued that Ferrari had “sidelined the wrong man,” emphasizing that Adami’s experience and technical expertise were valuable assets.

Other supporters theorized that the problems were not solely down to the driver or the engineer, but systemic within Ferrari itself. They pointed out that previous world champions, including Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, also struggled to find consistent results with the team, suggesting deeper organizational issues rather than individual shortcomings. One fan commented that Adami had demonstrated strong performance with Carlos Sainz Jr., reinforcing the view that Ferrari’s internal system needed adjustment.

At the same time, some observers acknowledged that Riccardo Adami had faced challenges with both Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz Jr., which made the decision to move him away from Lewis Hamilton’s car reasonable from Ferrari’s perspective.

Has Ferrari made the right call with Lewis Hamilton’s engineer?

With the 2026 season approaching, Ferrari’s decision to adjust the personnel supporting Lewis Hamilton underlines the team’s commitment to creating the optimal environment for both him and Charles Leclerc. How this change will impact Ferrari’s championship ambitions remains to be seen, but fans have made it clear that they support decisive action to strengthen the Scuderia’s title challenge.