Lewis Hamilton gives verdict on new race engineer after off-season swap

Lewis Hamilton's first year at Ferrari was marked by tense radio exchanges and a lack of rhythm with race engineer Riccardo Adami. Over the winter, Ferrari moved Adami to an academy role and promoted Carlo Santi on an interim basis—a change that has transformed Hamilton's 2026 campaign so far.

Why it matters:

The driver-engineer relationship is one of the most critical in Formula 1, directly influencing setup decisions, race strategy, and driver confidence. Hamilton's early struggles with Adami raised questions about his integration at Ferrari, but the switch to Santi has produced immediate results—including a strong P2 finish in Canada, his best result for the Scuderia.

The details:

• Hamilton said he 'chose a different set-up' in Canada after 'ciphering through the data' with Santi, describing his engineer as 'absolutely awesome'.
• He acknowledged the mid-season switch was 'detrimental' to continuity, but praised Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur for 'moving mountains' to make him comfortable.
• Vasseur noted Hamilton was able to 'push from the beginning to the end' in difficult conditions at the Canadian GP.

What's next:

Hamilton's relationship with Santi is currently on an interim basis, with a permanent engineer likely to be named later in the season. If the current trajectory continues, Ferrari could have a revitalized Hamilton capable of challenging for wins more consistently.