Lewis Hamilton is set to receive a new race engineer for the 2026 Formula 1 season, but Ferrari’s replacement for Riccardo Adami may not join until up to six months into the year. Earlier in January, Ferrari confirmed that Adami has transitioned into a new role within the team. After struggling to establish a strong working relationship with Hamilton during his first season at Maranello, Adami will now focus on managing Ferrari’s driver academy and overseeing their testing of previous cars (TPC) programme.
Adami’s difficulty stemmed from his inability to fully grasp Hamilton’s need for emotional support, which contrasted with his experience managing more methodical drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz over his eleven years at Ferrari. These differences reportedly led to several tense exchanges over the radio. With no internal candidate immediately ready to step into the race engineer role, the Briton will work with a temporary engineering team during the first official pre-season shakedown in Barcelona, scheduled from January 26 to 30.
Ferrari appear to have targeted Cedric Michel-Grosjean as their top choice to replace Adami permanently. During the Barcelona shakedown, Hamilton will be assisted by Charles Leclerc’s race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, as Ferrari intends to run one car at a time. Carlo Santi will also work with Hamilton in Barcelona to provide continuity as the team adapts to the new 2026 technical regulations. While Santi brings significant experience, Ferrari do not see him as the ideal long-term replacement for Adami.
Michel-Grosjean, who departed McLaren in December after eight years with the Woking team, has emerged as the most credible candidate for Hamilton’s new race engineer. He previously worked closely with Oscar Piastri, assisting the Australian driver during his 2025 F1 championship campaign. Currently serving his gardening leave after leaving McLaren, Michel-Grosjean would not be available to join Ferrari immediately, meaning the French engineer’s arrival could be delayed by three to six months. In the meantime, Luca Diella will act as the main liaison between Hamilton and the team.
Ferrari have ruled out attempting to bring back Peter Bonnington, Hamilton’s former long-time race engineer at Mercedes. Bonnington, now Mercedes’ head of race engineering and working with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is unlikely to be persuaded to return. Instead, the Scuderia have focused their search on Michel-Grosjean, whose experience with Oscar Piastri makes him a strong candidate. At McLaren, Michel-Grosjean played a pivotal role in optimising Piastri’s car performance, including brake balance, engine braking modes, and overall handling improvements, as well as supporting the Australian driver’s development over a Grand Prix weekend.
Oscar Piastri’s efforts paid off in 2025, finishing third in the drivers’ standings while leading for the most days of the season at 189. He also secured seven Grand Prix victories and 16 podiums, highlighting the impact of his engineering team. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton endured the most challenging season of his career after joining Ferrari, making the selection of a capable race engineer even more crucial for the Prancing Horse as they enter the 2026 campaign.
Leave a Reply