Lewis Hamilton’s past comments about Luca Diella make him obvious choice to replace Riccardo Adami

Follow us on Google Discover

Ferrari have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will start the 2026 Formula 1 season with a new race engineer.

Ahead of pre-season testing beginning, it was announced that Riccardo Adami would be moving on to a new role within Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton spent more than a decade working alongside Peter Bonnington before joining Ferrari last year.

Although Hamilton insisted there was no issue between himself and Adami, radio messages between the pair suggested that there was occasionally some tension and confusion.

One particular Hamilton radio message was very concerning, and before pre-season testing begins in Barcelona at the end of January, Ferrari need to confirm Adami’s replacement.

A report from Gazzetta dello Sport has suggested that Luca Diella could be the man to take on Adami’s responsibilities.

Hamilton’s previous comments on working with Diella suggest he might be the perfect candidate for the job.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton already has a ‘good dynamic’ with Luca Diella

Diella was signed by Ferrari in February 2025, joining as a performance engineer.

He previously worked alongside Hamilton at Mercedes between 2019 and 2024 and specialised in optimising power units and working on the software that maximises the engine’s performance.

That’s going to be an even more important role going into 2026, with Ferrari set to battle Mercedes, who many expect to be at the front of the field based on their previous experience.

Team principal Fred Vasseur knows how important it is to get the most out of Hamilton by making him comfortable, and the arrival of Diella, as well as deputy team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio, from Mercedes, will certainly help in that regard.

When Diella started working more closely with Hamilton from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, he was asked about the change and said, via ItalPassion: “It’s never easy to work with a new engineer in the middle of the season, but Luca is someone I’ve known for a long time.

“We’ve already got a good dynamic, and the progress on the car showed that from Spa onwards.”

It suggests that Hamilton’s previous interactions with Diella over the years make him the ideal candidate to take on Adami’s previous responsibilities.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

How Peter Bonnington feels about a move to Ferrari to work alongside Lewis Hamilton

The person Ferrari are most likely to want to bring in to help with Hamilton’s situation is his previous race engineer from his time at Mercedes.

‘Bono’, as he was affectionately known by Hamilton, now works with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and is also the head of trackside performance for Mercedes.

He enjoyed a brilliant relationship with the seven-time world champion, and Jolyon Palmer previously highlighted how important Bonnington and Hamilton’s relationship was.

However, it has since emerged that Bonnington has no chance of joining Ferrari.

The Silver Arrows could be in an even stronger position than Ferrari to challenge for both championships this year.

For Bonnington, it would represent a huge risk, potentially taking that step backwards, as well as uprooting his life to move to Italy to be a part of the Ferrari team for a reunion with Hamilton.