Ferrari Reshuffles Its F1 Structure: Lewis Hamilton’s Race Engineer Moves to New Role as 2026 Preparations Begin

Ferrari has confirmed a significant internal restructuring ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, announcing that Riccardo Adami — previously Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer — has been reassigned within the Scuderia to a role focused on nurturing young talent and supporting test programs.

The Italian engineer, who has been with Ferrari since 2015 and has a long track record working with elite drivers across Formula 1, steps away from the #44 garage radio following a challenging first season alongside seven-time world champion Hamilton. Communication issues and strategy disagreements between driver and engineer were repeatedly highlighted during the 2025 campaign, sparking speculation over their partnership’s future.

In an official statement, Scuderia Ferrari HP confirmed Adami’s new assignment as Manager of the Driver Academy and Test Previous Cars within the Ferrari Driver Academy. In this position, he will leverage his vast on-track expertise to help cultivate the next generation of Ferrari talent and to oversee development with older test cars — a key resource for refining data and driver coaching. The team also publicly thanked him for his contributions.

The move comes as Ferrari prepares to launch its 2026 campaign with heightened expectations after a mixed debut season from Hamilton, who struggled to land a podium in his first year with the Italian outfit. With Adami transitioning out of his race-day role, the team has yet to announce who will take over race engineer duties for Hamilton, leaving paddock observers curious about Ferrari’s strategy for strengthening the communication link between the cockpit and pit wall.

Adami’s long career highlights also include earlier roles as race engineer to drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz Jr., underscoring his pedigree within Ferrari before this latest development.