Riccardo Adami was removed from his role as Lewis Hamilton’s engineer after the 2025 season.

Lewis Hamilton will have a new engineer in 2026 (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton will reportedly be looked after by Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc’s usual race engineer, as the Italian takes on double duties at the first pre-season test in Barcelona. The seven-time world champion will then learn his new full-time engineer at a later date after Riccardo Adami was removed from his post.

Hamilton inherited Adami’s services after the Brescian engineer worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. However, there were teething problems between the duo, and even at the end of a gruelling 24-race season, communication wasn’t at the level the British racer desired.

According to a report by Corriere della Sera, Hamilton and Adami had dinner after the 2025 season concluded to clear the air, but the decision to split the driver-engineer pairing was made. The 41-year-old is yet to learn the identity of his full-time engineer for 2026, but Bozzi will oversee both drivers at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Adami will remain within the Ferrari F1 operation, heading the Ferrari Driver Academy, which contains talents such as Rafael Camara and Tuukka Taponen. He will also have responsibility for the testing of previous cars (TPC) programme.

“Scuderia Ferrari HP would like to thank Riccardo for his commitment and contribution to his trackside role and wishes him every success in his new position,” a team statement read. “The appointment of the new race engineer for car #44 will be announced in due course.”

The 2026 season is a critical juncture in Hamilton’s decorated career. The Stevenage-born racer was happy to see the back of the ground-effect cars, in which he won just two Grands Prix and finished a best of third in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Bryan Bozzi (right) has been Charles Leclerc’s engineer (Image: Getty)

F1’s most decorated driver failed to notch even a podium during his first year as a Ferrari driver, and team principal Fred Vasseur confessed that he underestimated the challenge that the British veteran would face transitioning to life in Maranello after 12 years with Mercedes.

During the off-season, Hamilton has been recharging ahead of a year that could define his F1 legacy. Posting on social media on his birthday, he wrote: “I’m incredibly grateful for this break. Time to disconnect, recharge and find a bit of inner peace.

“Time with family and friends replenishing with rest and good laughs has been everything I needed after a very draining year. In a world that moves so fast where we’re constantly being pulled in so many directions, truly disconnecting and has been the most amazing feeling.

“I’m conscious that we’re entering the Year of the Horse and leaving behind the Year of the Snake. The time for change is now. Starting new routines, leaving behind unwanted patterns and working on growth. Let go of things that don’t serve you. This can take time, there will be things you can’t get rid of immediately, but it starts with the first step.”