{"id":361114,"date":"2025-12-20T20:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T20:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361114\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T20:33:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T20:33:08","slug":"ferrari-consider-changing-hamiltons-race-engineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361114\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferrari consider changing Hamilton’s race engineer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few partnerships have generated the level of engagement that followed Lewis Hamilton\u2019s<\/a> contract agreement with Ferrari. Understandably, this driver-team duo was one of the biggest talking points heading into last season.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, this anticipation is a double-edged sword. For all the initial excitement surrounding this move, it did not take long before criticism began to emerge. This is particularly true for Hamilton\u2019s side of the garage.<\/p>\n

Several areas, including Hamilton\u2019s communication with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, have been under the microscope.<\/p>\n

Team principal Fred Vasseur<\/a> believes all areas, including Hamilton\u2019s race engineer, must be reviewed to ensure a smoother 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lewis Hamilton, Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari Media Gallery)
\nVasseur says Ferrari must understand Hamilton better<\/p>\n

Overall, much like the previous fifteen seasons, Ferrari\u2019s biggest limitation in 2025 was car performance \u2013 as opposed to their driver line-up.<\/p>\n

This is not to say Hamilton was been anywhere near his best level. The 7-time Champion regularly found himself a few steps behind Charles Leclerc<\/a> on both qualifying and race day.<\/p>\n

Still, even at their best, neither Ferrari driver had the opportunity to fight for victory this season. The closest they came to a race win was Hungary, only for plank wear concerns to force Leclerc into lifting and coasting.<\/p>\n

Speaking of lift and coast, it was Ferrari\u2019s double-DSQ in China that forced the Scuderia to change their calculations and be more conservative with the SF-25. Among other factors, this was one of the team\u2019s limitations in their search of lap-time.<\/p>\n

Returning specifically to Hamilton, there were occasional highlights \u2013 most notably his Sprint Race win in Shanghai.<\/p>\n

Still, as quoted by Corriere<\/a>, Fred Vasseur says Ferrari underestimated how difficult the adaptation process would be:<\/p>\n

\u201cI underestimated the extent of the change. For 20 years, he was tied to the Mercedes world. For him, everything was different \u2013 culture, methods, software, components, people.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you\u2019re not always at the top in every area, you leave tenths on the table. The difference between a 5th and 15th place this year was minimal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to improve our collaboration. He needs to try to get more out of the car he has. Every detail counts. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also about understanding each other better. We know each other better on the other side of the garage (Leclerc\u2019s) about knowing what Lewis needs, what he wants. I also need to understand what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked specifically about changing Hamilton\u2019s race engineer, Vasseur replied \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re evaluating all options.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal (Ferrari Media Gallery)
\nA test for driver and team<\/p>\n

Given that Ferrari rarely ever change race engineers, the fact Vasseur is even open to making an adjustment speaks volumes about the team\u2019s willingness to adapt.<\/p>\n

Of course, potentially replacing Adami is only one small consideration in a far bigger picture. On a more macro level, the Scuderia are working to ensure Hamilton properly integrates into the team for 2026.<\/p>\n

Putting this to one side, the foundation for any meaningful Ferrari campaign will be next year\u2019s package. It remains to be seen whether the team hit the ground running with the new regulations \u2013 or if they find themselves on the defensive.<\/p>\n

Speculation is only intensifying as the winter break continues and the first tests of 2026 come closer. For Fred Vasseur, the preference will be to maintain a low profile and avoid the high expectations that typically accompany the team.<\/p>\n

Until now, it is Mercedes<\/a> \u2013 at least on the engine front \u2013 who are seen as favourites.<\/p>\n

Still, regardless of who are designated as pre-season favourites, Ferrari must hit the mark on both their power unit and aerodynamic concept over the winter.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Pierre Gasly \u2013 \u201cThere was no support\u201d when I was at Red Bull<\/a><\/p>\n

Main photo: Ferrari Media Gallery<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few partnerships have generated the level of engagement that followed Lewis Hamilton\u2019s contract agreement with Ferrari. Understandably, this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,191992,813,816,823,36729,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-361114","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-f1-2026-season","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-lewis-hamilton","15":"tag-scuderia-ferrari","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}