Ferrari has officially made its decision. After a 2025 season marked by repeated tensions and disappointing sporting performance, the Scuderia has decided to replace Riccardo Adami as Lewis Hamilton's race engineer starting with the 2026 Formula 1 season. A bold choice, revealing the difficulties faced by the seven-time world champion since his arrival in Maranello.
Lewis Hamilton – Riccardo Adami: A relationship that never truly settled
Hamilton had inherited Riccardo Adami upon his arrival at Classic Ferrari for sale in 2025. The Italian engineer was not a novice, however: he had worked with Sebastian Vettel during the wrestling seasons against Classic Mercedes for salethen accompanied Carlos Sainz throughout his adventure at Ferrari. But with HamiltonThe connection never worked.
Accustomed to direct, fluid and almost instinctive communication with Peter "Bono" Bonnington in Mercedes, The Briton quickly showed his frustration. In Miami, faced with Ferrari's hesitation to issue team orders, Hamilton broadcast on the radio:
"Shall we have a tea break?" »
An exchange that has become emblematic of internal tensions. The difficulties were not limited to the tone of the radio exchanges. In Monaco, erroneous information was transmitted by Adami claiming that Max Verstappen was in slow turn drove Hamilton to hinder the pilot Red BullThe result: a penalty on the grid and a new episode of public tension.
These incidents contributed to a statistically catastrophic season for HamiltonFor the first time in his career, he failed to achieve any podium finishes and ended sixth in the championship with only 156 points, his worst total since the introduction of the modern points system in 2010.
After the season, Fred vasseur had confirmed that the Scuderia would "objectively assess" the situation. Ferrari has now formalized the change. Riccardo Adami is repositioned as director of the Ferrari Driver Academy and head of the TPC program, while the name of the future race engineer for car #44 will be announced soon.
In a statement, Classic Ferrari for sale emphasizes that: "Riccardo's experience and expertise will contribute to the development of future talent."
This strategic shift comes at a pivotal moment. With the new 2026 regulations and even more complex management of electrical power, the driver-engineer relationship will be crucial. Ferrari hopes to offer Hamilton a more stable environment to revitalize the end of his career.
