Mystery around Hamilton: Who will be his new Ferrari race engineer?

After Adami’s departure, Carlo Santi was expected to be the man to guide Hamilton during the tests for the time being.

The experienced engineer, who previously worked with Kimi Raikkonen, is present on the pit wall this week, but a permanent appointment is not in place yet.

When asked, Ferrari would not confirm to GPblog whether Santi will become Hamilton’s permanent race engineer, and they are now also saying nothing further about who is in the ears of the 41-year-old Brit during winter testing in Barcelona.

As a result, the situation remains unclear. Earlier, it appeared that Santi would at least temporarily take charge during the test days, possibly with support from Bryan Bozzi.

Bozzi is Charles Leclerc’s race engineer and is working closely with Santi in Barcelona. Since Ferrari is running a single car during the test, it is logistically possible for Bozzi to support Hamilton without relinquishing his role with Leclerc. However, that scenario is now anything but certain as well.

Other names have been circulating in the background for some time. Italian media previously mentioned Cedric Michel-Grosjean as a possible full-time race engineer for Hamilton.

The Frenchman worked at McLaren in recent years and left the team at the end of last year. Whether he is truly an option for Ferrari, and especially whether he would be immediately available, remains unconfirmed. Within the paddock, people also point to the customary gardening leave for such roles, which would complicate a swift move.

The fact that Ferrari has yet to make a decision so late in their preparations is striking. Adami was initially confirmed as Hamilton’s permanent race engineer for the upcoming season, but it was later announced that he would take on a different role.

For now, uncertainty remains over who will guide Hamilton. It is still unknown who will be on the radio with the seven-time world champion during the 2026 Formula 1 season, and the team refuses to say anything definitive even about how the roles are divided during the test in Barcelona.

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