Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer spotted at Australian Grand Prix but he may not start until Miami

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Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer, Cedric Grosjean, has been spotted at the Australian Grand Prix, but they won’t be working together at this weekend’s race.

Ferrari announced during the off-season that Riccardo Adami would no longer be Hamilton’s race engineer after an ostensibly fraught 2025 season. Adami has instead taken on a role in the driver academy.

While the move hasn’t been officially confirmed at the time of writing, it’s clear that Grosjean will replace Adami. The Frenchman previously worked as a performance engineer for Oscar Piastri at McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer is only observing at Australian Grand Prix

Grosjean has only just been able to join his new colleagues after serving a period of gardening leave post-McLaren. During winter testing, Hamilton worked with Carlo Santi, Kimi Raikkonen’s former race engineer.

According to Formula1.it, the plan is for Santi to continue in the interim role for the first three races in Australia, China and Japan. Grosjean will observe him in an effort to learn about the team’s procedures.

• READ MORE: Kimi Raikkonen once complained about Lewis Hamilton’s interim Ferrari race engineer

This also gives him time to form working relationships with Ferrari’s trackside personnel before he takes over from Santi.

However, there is a very real risk that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, rounds four and five, are postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This could create a large gap in the calendar in Japan.

As such, it may be that Grosjean has to wait until the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May to become Hamilton’s race engineer.

What has Lewis Hamilton said about late Ferrari engineer change?

Hamilton had already indicated during pre-season testing that the temporary arrangement with Santi would only last ‘a few races’. He says the drivers who have been through ‘thick and thin’ with their engineers will have an advantage this year.

Clearly, this puts the 41-year-old at a disadvantage, but Ferrari must have enormous confidence in Grosjean if they were willing to wait months for his arrival.

Has Lewis Hamilton been set up to fail?

His new engineer won't be in place for the start of the season

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The McLaren engineering department is arguably the most impressive on the F1 grid. Between 2023 and 2025, Piastri has been one of the most improved drivers in the sport.

Jolyon Palmer says Hamilton could suffer from ‘information overload’ this year because his new engineer doesn’t know his preferred communication style.

The seven-time world champion worked with Peter Bonnington for 12 straight seasons at Mercedes but Ferrari have appointed three different engineers in the space of just over a year.