Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 season began with the news of Riccardo Adami stepping away from his role as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer. A change that had been expected for some time and that the Scuderia attempted to present, through an official statement, as a simple role change for the former engineer of the seven-time world champion.
After years spent on the front line of trackside operations, Riccardo Adami will work this year within the Ferrari Driver Academy, also taking care of activities linked to TPC (Testing of Previous Cars). “Riccardo will put his trackside experience and Formula 1 expertise at the service of developing future talents and strengthening the performance culture of the programme. Scuderia Ferrari HP would like to thank Riccardo for his commitment and contribution in his trackside role and wishes him every success in his new position.”
No real surprise
The timing of this change may have come unexpectedly, but it did not truly come as a surprise. For some time, it had been known that the relationship between Adami and Hamilton was professional, yet lacking the kind of chemistry between engineer and driver that allows complete and unquestioned trust.
This situation reportedly led to a degree of dissatisfaction on the part of “Sir” Lewis, prompting the Scuderia to sacrifice Riccardo Adami’s widely recognised professionalism in order to satisfy — and keep under control — Lewis Hamilton. For the moment, Ferrari has not yet announced who will replace the Italian engineer, a far from simple task given the tight schedule, with winter testing already underway and the first race of the season fast approaching.
However, Ferrari has for some time secured the services of Oscar Piastri’s former vehicle engineer from McLaren to work alongside car number 44. Cedric Michel-Grosjean, though, according to information in our possession, will only be ready to wear red — likely in time for the Australian Grand Prix — after completing the gardening leave period agreed with McLaren, leaving Lewis Hamilton without a permanent race engineer for a certain period.
A temporary bridge
To manage this transitional phase, according to the Italian website formula1.it, Ferrari has decided to recall Carlo Santi to trackside duties. A highly experienced engineer, Santi has already worked with Kimi Räikkönen and supported Bryan Bozzi during the handover from Xavi Marcos alongside Charles Leclerc.
Long involved in Ferrari’s remote garage operations, Santi will act — as reported by several outlets in recent days — as a temporary bridge during the winter tests, remaining at Lewis Hamilton’s side until the arrival of the new race engineer, on a date that is still expected but not yet confirmed. And the term “temporary” is no coincidence: the detail that has not yet emerged publicly, according to sources close to the Scuderia, is that Santi has made himself available to work alongside the British driver — and potentially also to support the new engineer during a gradual introduction to the role and the team’s procedures — for just three races, before handing over to the permanent race engineer.
At that point, managing the transition will fall to the team and its ability to coordinate timing and methods in an optimal way during a delicate phase for both the squad and the driver. Convincing Santi to extend his availability would not be an issue, but a smooth and seamless handover would represent a strong signal of good organisation to the outside world.
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