Maranello, February 29, 2024 – A significant shakeup has occurred within the ferrari Formula 1 team, as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer from the 2025 season, Riccardo Adami, has been reassigned to lead the Ferrari driver academy and their testing program for older cars.
Tension
The move comes amid reports of dialog challenges between Hamilton and Adami during the 2025 campaign.
- Riccardo Adami, previously Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, will now manage Ferrari’s driver academy.
- The change follows speculation of communication difficulties between Hamilton and Adami.
- Hamilton experienced a challenging frist season with Ferrari,finishing behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari confirmed the appointment in a statement, noting that a replacement for car number 44’s race engineer woudl be announced at a later date. The timing of the move has fueled ongoing discussion about the dynamic between the seven-time champion and his engineering team.The relationship between a driver and their race engineer is arguably one of the most crucial in motorsport; the engineer serves as a vital link between the driver in the cockpit and the team strategists, offering real-time adjustments and, at times, acting as a confidant.
hamilton,41,publicly dismissed any suggestion of friction with Adami,maintaining a positive assessment of their working relationship despite moments that appeared strained during radio communications. Prior to joining Ferrari, Hamilton enjoyed a remarkably stable 12-year partnership with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes.
hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari proved arduous, with the British driver repeatedly expressing a need for internal changes within the organization, though he refrained from specifying the exact areas requiring improvement. Ferrari’s statement highlighted that Adami’s “extensive trackside experience and Formula 1 expertise contributes to the progress of future talent and to strengthening performance culture across the program.”
Testing programs utilizing previous-generation cars have become increasingly vital in Formula 1, providing valuable track time and experience for young drivers in an era where in-season testing with current cars is heavily restricted.
Hamilton Outpaced by Leclerc in 2025
Throughout the 2025 season, Hamilton consistently trailed teammate Charles Leclerc in both race results and qualifying performance. The Briton finished one position and 84 points behind Leclerc in the championship standings. Leclerc bested Hamilton in qualifying 22 times to just seven, achieving an average lap time advantage of 0.15 seconds.Leclerc’s average grid position was 5.6, while Hamilton’s was 9.5.
Hamilton also struggled in qualifying towards the end of the season, being eliminated in the first session during the final three races. A particularly noticeable exchange occurred at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Hamilton requested Adami refrain from informing him of the positions of cars around him on track. When informed that Sauber’s Gabriel bortoleto was ahead, hamilton responded, “Stop telling me I’m racing people.I know I’m racing him, man. Just leave me to it. I’m racing everyone ahead of me.”
Adami’s history includes previous work with both Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel, and his relationship with Vettel was known to be occasionally tense. During the 2017-18 seasons, when Ferrari possessed a competitive car but faltered in the championship chase due to operational errors, Vettel frequently voiced his frustration with the team’s race strategy.Sainz also raised concerns about Ferrari’s strategic decisions during his four years with the team.
What is the role of a race engineer in Formula 1? The race engineer is the primary communication link between the driver and the pit wall, responsible for analyzing data, making strategic adjustments to the car, and providing crucial support throughout a race.
