Lewis Hamilton frustrated by “disadvantageous” engineering changes at Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton reflects on the change in his race engineer.

The English champion expressed his gratitude to Riccardo Adami at the conclusion of Day 1 of the Bahrain Formula 1 tests.

The post-Adami era

As has been known for several weeks, Riccardo Adami will no longer serve as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Ferrari officially announced that Adami has moved to focus on the Ferrari Driver Academy and the testing program with previous years’ cars.

During the upcoming tests, Lewis Hamilton will be working with Carlo Santi, who previously held the same position from 2016 to 2018 with Kimi Raikkonen before moving to a senior role as a remote manager in Maranello.

According to AutoRacer, the role of Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer could eventually be taken by Cedric Michel-Grosjean, a former trusted engineer of Oscar Piastri at McLaren, currently on gardening leave. Michel-Grosjean recently drew attention after liking a LinkedIn post by Fred Vasseur about the Ferrari SF-26, sparking speculation among fans and media alike.

Hamilton’s comment

After completing his first day on track, Lewis Hamilton was asked about this change within his team: “Obviously with Riccardo it was a very difficult decision to make. I’m really grateful to him for all the dedication he showed last year and for his patience, because it was a rather challenging year for all of us.”

In statements published by PlanetF1, Lewis Hamilton also spoke about his current collaboration with Santi, which is expected to last for the initial rounds of the 2026 season: “The current solution is only for a few races, it’s not long-term. So at the beginning of the season there will be another change, and I will have to learn to work with someone new. This is a setback for me as well, because it’s a year you would ideally like to start with people you’ve already spent several seasons with. But this is the situation, and I’ll do my best. The team is trying to do its best to help make the transition as smooth as possible.”

This organizational flux at Maranello highlights the complexities of Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile move. As the hunt for a permanent engineering solution continues, the British driver’s ability to maintain focus amidst these personnel shifts will be a key storyline to watch as we head toward the season opener in Australia.