Lewis Hamilton’s communication with Ferrari race engineer Carlo Santi has come under renewed scrutiny after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where lengthy periods of radio silence left the seven-time world champion repeatedly seeking information from the pit wall. Former Formula 1 driver Robert Doornbos believes the Baku exchanges painted a troubling picture of a partnership that had appeared considerably stronger earlier in the season.
The concerns arrive after another difficult weekend for Hamilton, who finished sixth in Azerbaijan. His latest Ferrari performances and developments can be followed through the Lewis Hamilton Ferrari news archive.
Lewis Hamilton changed race engineer after his first Ferrari season
Hamilton reorganised part of his engineering team after his debut campaign with Ferrari. Riccardo Adami moved into a different role after the working relationship between the pair failed to develop as hoped, opening the door for Carlo Santi to become Hamilton’s race engineer.
Santi initially took the position on an interim basis but remained on the pit wall throughout the 2026 season. As recently as June, Hamilton had praised his new engineer and described him as an important, often overlooked contributor to his resurgence with Ferrari.
Recent races have produced a less encouraging picture. Hamilton’s form has declined, and the sixth-place result in Baku was another weekend that fell short of the level the British driver had previously reached during the season.
Robert Doornbos raises concerns over Hamilton-Santi communication
Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, Robert Doornbos argued that the working relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Carlo Santi now appeared to be deteriorating. The former Red Bull driver contrasted the Azerbaijan weekend with earlier stages of the season, when Hamilton was achieving podium results, holding second place in the championship and appearing to communicate effectively with his engineer.
Doornbos felt the Baku exchanges resembled the communication difficulties Hamilton had previously experienced with Riccardo Adami. In his assessment, the radio interaction with Santi was poor and appeared at times to leave important information missing.
The criticism adds another dimension to wider questions surrounding communication at Ferrari. Hamilton has also recently found himself increasingly out of alignment with senior figures at Maranello, with the changing dynamic between Lewis Hamilton and Frédéric Vasseur becoming another notable theme of Ferrari’s season.
Baku radio silence becomes the focus
One particular sequence during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix stood out to Doornbos. As yellow flags appeared and the possibility of a Safety Car developed, Hamilton repeatedly asked the Ferrari pit wall for information while slowing near the pit entry.
The timing was important because immediate information could influence whether the driver committed to a pit stop. Doornbos highlighted that Hamilton kept requesting an update but did not receive the rapid response he appeared to need.
For the former Formula 1 driver, the silence was uncomfortable because street circuits can quickly turn yellow-flag situations into Safety Car periods. He contrasted Ferrari’s exchange with the communication he hears between Max Verstappen and the Red Bull pit wall, which he considers more immediate and consistently prepared.
Ferrari team radio shows extended periods without a response
The Azerbaijan radio itself contains extended periods of silence from the Ferrari pit wall while Hamilton asks about the developing situation and strategy. That does not establish the wider state of the relationship between driver and engineer, but it is the specific evidence that prompted Doornbos to question how effectively the pair were communicating during a critical phase of the race.
The contrast with June is particularly notable. Only a few months earlier, Hamilton was publicly crediting Santi for his contribution to a stronger period at Ferrari. Baku instead produced an exchange that attracted attention for the opposite reason, with the British driver seeking information at a moment when rapid communication could influence strategic decisions.
For Ferrari, the issue is ultimately less about how the relationship appears externally and more about ensuring that Hamilton receives the information he needs quickly and clearly during decisive moments. With the competition in Formula 1 leaving increasingly little room for hesitation, pit-wall communication remains one of the areas where even a brief delay can become significant.
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