F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Ferrari fail Lewis Hamilton as new race engineer relationship tested

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Ferrari fail Lewis Hamilton as new race engineer relationship tested at Chinese GP

Hamilton will settle for nothing less than the best

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 13 March 2026 07:54

Lewis Hamilton and his new F1 race engineer at Ferrari continued to encounter some teething issues at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion's disastrous first season with Ferrari was characterised by a series of team radio mishaps with former race engineer Riccardo Adami, with the trying relationship coming to an end in the off-season.

However, as the clock ticked down ever closer to the start of pre-season testing, there was no announcement of a new race engineer for Hamilton by Ferrari.

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It was then confirmed Carlo Santi would be appointed on an interim basis, with Hamilton himself even admitting that not having a permanent race engineer would hurt his 2026 season.

Thus far, concerns over this relationship have proved to be correct with Santi and Hamilton struggling with communication in Australia. So, as the Chinese GP weekend commenced on Friday, did their team radio messages improve?

Hamilton and Santi's relationship tested

During FP1 on Friday at the Shanghai International Circuit, Hamilton took to team radio to demand more from Ferrari, sounding clearly irritated by the team’s inability to yet again provide him with enough information to excel.

As the only hour of practice came to a close, Hamilton took to team radio asking for more, saying: "Give me a plan mate!"

His temporary race engineer Santi responded: "Yep!"

The seven-time champion then added: "I don’t know where I am in the session."

Santi finally jumped into action, saying: "So, you are P3, still P3. Now Mercedes managed to use the soft tyre, they are 1.3 seconds faster than us."

Hamilton then replied in a slightly calmer tone, saying: "It was looking a bit better in the lap, but lost it in the end."

The British racer went on to finish the first and only hour of practice in Shanghai way down in sixth, behind both Mercedes', the McLaren driver duo, and his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

While Hamilton's team radio messages certainly make for tense listening, the champion's refusal to accept anything less than the best at Ferrari is evidence of his renewed fighting spirit.

By coaching his race engineer through what he needs and his expectations, he is hopefully building the foundations of a better relationship to serve him for as long as his partnership with Santi lasts in 2026.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Chinese Grand Prix