New attempt to make Hamilton’s Ferrari dream come true is already under pressure

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari were supposed to form a dream partnership. A year later, it feels more like a relationship appears increasingly tense. The late change on his side of the garage is yet another example of Ferrari’s organizational noise.

A week after Ferrari announced that Riccardo Adami, Hamilton’s race engineer, would remain, the Italian has nonetheless been moved aside, the Maranello-based team revealed this on Friday. In just over a week, the cars will hit the track for the first time during the first pre-season test days in Barcelona.

Before then, Ferrari must appoint a new engineer on Hamilton’s side of the garage. The seven-time world champion worked with Peter Bonnington for years at Mercedes, but as GPblog understands, 'Bono' joining the Italian team will not happen.

Engineer search marks chaotic start

While some drivers have been working with their engineers for more than ten seasons, such as Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase, it’s fair to say that a minor crisis regarding race engineers is not unfamiliar territory for Ferrari. The Italian team replaced Xavi Marcos, who was Charles Leclerc’s engineer from 2019 until May 2024, with Bryan Bozzi.

Lewis Hamilton will have a new voice in his ear in 2026 - Photo: RacePictures

As seen, communication between driver and engineer does not always run smoothly at Ferrari, which was evident in 2025 with Hamilton and Adami. The Brit often had to ask for clarification, Adami spoke at the wrong moments, or said nothing when communication was needed. By pairing a new engineer with Hamilton just days before testing, valuable preparation time may be lost.

Hamilton will need a few weeks to build trust and get to know his new engineer’s communication strategy. With his Formula 1 experience, it shouldn’t be a major issue, but it marks a messy start to the season. He hasn’t been at Ferrari for long and won’t know all the engineers as well as he knew those at Mercedes.

Will things still work out for Hamilton and Ferrari?

It was clear last year that Hamilton ran into a number of issues in meetings and communication in general with Ferrari. The car didn’t behave the way he would have liked to, he couldn’t find his rhythm, and he didn’t seem to feel heard. In that regard, it didn’t help that Ferrari decided early in the year to focus on 2026 and therefore halted development of the 2025 car.

The photo of Lewis Hamilton that gave Italy hope again - Photo: Ferrari

The Maranello dream has gradually turned into a nightmare, even as Hamilton was placed on a pedestal across Italy. The seven-time champion was, however, harshly confronted with Ferrari’s way of working. In Ferrari’s chaotic approach, including the interference of all of Italy, lies the danger that the team might inadvertently choke off a graceful end to Hamilton’s career.

If the organizational noise continues, the trust in the people around him is lacking, and success fails to materialize in the new era of Formula 1, his potentially final chapter risks being remembered not as a romantic final chapter, but as a hard-fought struggle.

Check out the latest episode of GPblog's F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.

Don't forget to follow us on Spotify as well!