Ferrari 'plot McLaren swoop' in wake of Lewis Hamilton change

Hamilton and Adami in conversation on F1 grid in Ferrari race kit — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Ferrari 'plot McLaren swoop' in wake of Lewis Hamilton change

It's all change at Ferrari...again

Originally written by Chris Deeley. This version is a translation.

Monday 26 January 2026 17:00

Lewis Hamilton is set to work with a new race engineer when the 2026 F1 season gets underway.

Ferrari confirmed earlier this month that Riccardo Adami will no longer be part of Hamilton’s trackside setup, instead moving into a role within the team’s driver academy. While that decision is clear, Ferrari have yet to officially announce who will take over as Hamilton’s full-time race engineer.

In the meantime, Charles Leclerc’s long-time engineer Bryan Bozzi is expected to work alongside Hamilton during at least part of pre-season testing, while reports in Italy suggest further support could come from Carlo Santi, who previously worked with Kimi Raikkonen during his Ferrari career.

Corriere della Sera also claim that the full-time hire they're working on bringing to the team is currently in place at McLaren.

Ferrari legacy at risk?

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There's no further indication of who that engineer is, with the report instead going on to reiterate how key it is that Ferrari get their 2026 concept right, with their team's future – and particularly the future of Fred Vasseur – under threat.

It's been a year since seven-time champion Hamilton arrived at Maranello for his first public appearance as a Ferrari driver, with expectations high among the tifosi after a strong end to the 2024 season.

The hope is that giving up on their 2025 season early allowed more development focus to go into moulding the new regulations to the best of their ability. Time will tell.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren