F1 2026: Lewis Hamilton 'splits with key team member for SECOND time'

Hynes and Cullen walking through Chinese GP car park together, Hynes in black clothing, Cullen in Ferrari kit — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton 'splits with key team member for SECOND time'

Hamilton has reportedly parted ways with a key team member

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 3 February 2026 19:43

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has reportedly split from his closest professional partner for a second time, just weeks before the start of the 2026 F1 season.

According to Daily Mail Sport, Hamilton has parted ways with Marc Hynes, his former manager and chief executive of Project 44.

Hynes worked closely alongside Hamilton through his role at the champion's management company between 2015 and 2021, before the pair amicably went their separate ways for the first time.

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But ahead of Hamilton's switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, the British racing star recruited Hynes once again as he attempted to bolster his personal squad, a decision which also saw him reunite with former trainer Angela Cullen.

Hamilton's 2026 personnel reshuffle

The above report in British media also stated that Hynes had taken up a new role with the new Cadillac F1 team, and the Brit's own LinkedIn page now states his current position as 'Zhou Guanyu F1 Management and Athlete Representation'.

Though it is Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez who will be representing Cadillac on the grid in 2026, Zhou Guanyu recently made the switch from Ferrari to the American team to become their reserve driver for 2026.

The 47-year-old has known Hamilton for decades and has a storied motorsport history of his own, having won the British Formula 3 Championship in 1999.

Hynes was brought back into the fold with Hamilton's personal management to oversee his racing logistics at the Scuderia, but has reportedly been snapped up by American squad Cadillac ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Hamilton and Hynes are said to have parted amicably once again, but the split isn't the first the seven-time champion has had to deal with this year.

Just two weeks into 2026, Ferrari announced that Hamilton's race engineer Riccardo Adami would not returning for the upcoming season, instead moving to a role with the Scuderia's driver academy and TPC programme.

Hamilton and Adami's first year in partnership did not go smoothly and their awkward team radio exchanges became a frequent staple of F1 race weekends across Hamilton's maiden campaign in red.

The decision appeared to please Hamilton, who was all smiles after topping the unofficial timesheets at last week's Barcelona shakedown, although a decision over Adami's replacement is yet to be announced.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

Hamilton and Ferrari will be back in action when the 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. The first race of the year takes place on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET. The first round of pre-season tests in Bahrain will kick off before then on February 11 until 13, and the second round continues from February 18 until February 20.

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