One Lewis Hamilton radio message confirmed that Ferrari simply had to replace Riccardo Adami

Follow us on Google Discover

Riccardo Adami will be replaced as Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari race engineer for the 2026 season. The team confirmed the news in a statement on Friday.

Adami stays within the company but will instead head up the Ferrari driver academy. Hamilton failed to score a Grand Prix podium during a disastrous first season, so in that sense the shake-up comes as no surprise.

During his debut at the Australian GP, Hamilton said Adami wasn’t providing him with the right information. This proved to be a precursor for the year ahead.

In Miami, Hamilton even told Adami to take a ‘tea break’ while Ferrari debated whether to swap their cars. But there was another message that confirmed that the partnership was doomed.

Lewis Hamilton sounded frustrated with Riccardo Adami during Abu Dhabi GP

Speaking in June, via F1’s official website, Hamilton said he didn’t have ‘any problems’ with Adami. He called him an ‘amazing’ engineer and praised his work ethic.

The seven-time world champion also acknowledged that they were ‘constantly adapting’ to one another. Hamilton had just spent 12 years with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, while Adami supported Carlos Sainz between 2021 and 2024.

Perhaps moments of tension were to be expected during that adaptation process. But it was concerning that there was still a disconnect between the driver and the engineer at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Has Damon Hill just identified what’s going wrong for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

When Adami told Hamilton that he was racing Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto for position, the Briton replied: “Stop telling me I’m racing people, I know I’m racing them, man. Just leave me to it. I’m racing everyone ahead of me.”

But an even more alarming message came later when Hamilton was reporting track limits breaches ahead.

“I don’t need you to… just don’t confirm please,” Hamilton said. “Just telling you.”

When Adami replied ‘understood’, Hamilton snapped back: “Stop confirming!”

Peter Bonnington reunion with Lewis Hamilton has already been ruled out

Hamilton and Adami had been working together for 24 races, plus testing. After well over 100 sessions, they still hadn’t gelled.

It seems as if they each have fundamentally different communication styles, and they couldn’t find a compromise. The undercurrent of genuine irritation from Hamilton was also undeniable.

The ideal scenario would be a reunion with his old engineer, but Bonnington joining Ferrari has been ruled out. He has just begun a partnership with teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.