Lewis Hamilton hints Ferrari engineer has become his new ‘Bono’

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton hints Ferrari engineer has become his new ‘Bono’

Lewis Hamilton previously worked with Peter Bonnington

By Sam Cook.

Sunday 7 June 2026 21:00

Lewis Hamilton has suggested he is building a strong partnership with Ferrari race engineer Carlo Santi, drawing comparisons to the close working relationship he enjoyed with longtime Mercedes engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington.

The seven-time world champion spent 12 seasons working alongside Bonnington at Mercedes, a period that produced six drivers’ titles and some of the most successful years of Hamilton’s career.

Hamilton and Bonnington remain close despite now being on opposing pit walls, with the Ferrari driver often stopping by the Mercedes garage to catch up with his former engineer, who currently works with championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

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For Hamilton, though, he has struggled to find that kind of relationship at Ferrari, struggling to bond with race engineer Riccardo Adami last year in his first season at the team.

At the end of 2025, it was revealed that Adami would step down from the position, and that experienced Ferrari team member Santi would be the seven-time champion's race engineer on an interim basis.

Hamilton's new Bono; Carlo Santi

Santi was previously the race engineer for world champion Kimi Raikkonen in his final season at Ferrari in 2018, but he has been a performance engineer for many years.

Ahead of the Monaco GP, Hamilton opened up about his 'Italian Bono'.

"Having that driver-engineer collab, it's hit and miss sometimes," he told media. "With me and Bono, it hit off from the beginning mostly. He had a good working relationship with Michael [Schumacher].

"I do feel like Carlo is like my Italian Bono. I told Bono that the other day! He's a bit of an OG. He's an older guy that's been around the block. He's very calm. You can hear him on the radio.

"This is a detail that we were able to go into together. Our understanding of the engineering side, I think it's something that's worth remembering."

It is expected that Santi's position is no longer interim, and another change in that role as Hamilton's race engineer is not expected.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Peter Bonnington