Hamilton to get new race engineer after difficult debut season with Ferrari

MARANELLO, Italy (AP) — Lewis Hamilton will have a new race engineer talking to him over the radio in Formula 1 after Riccardo Adami was moved to another role with Ferrari.

Race engineers are the staff members most often in contact with drivers on track, discussing race incidents, car setup and strategy. The radio chatter between Hamilton and Adami came in for scrutiny during the British driver's disappointing 2025 season.

Ahead of the start of preseason testing this month, the Italian team said Adami would work with its driver academy and oversee test runs in older F1 cars, without naming a replacement.

The team "would like to thank Riccardo for his commitment and contribution to his trackside role and wishes him every success in his new position," Ferrari said in a statement which didn't mention Hamilton by name.

"The appointment of the new race engineer for car #44 will be announced in due course."

Seven-time world champion Hamilton denied any problems in his relationship with Adami, who previously worked with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, though their radio chatter sometimes indicated frustration.

In their first race together at the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton asked Adami to "leave me to it" because he felt he was being distracted with information he didn't need.

At the Miami Grand Prix in May, Hamilton questioned whether the team might have a "tea break" as Ferrari took its time deciding on strategy. In Monaco, Hamilton asked if Adami was upset with him and seemed not to get a reply.

For the first time in his career, the British driver didn't finish on the podium in a grand prix all year, his first season following a blockbuster move from Mercedes.