Martin Brundle expressed his surprise that a change of Ferrari race engineer for Lewis Hamilton did not happen sooner, explaining the requirement to understand \u2018Lewis-speak\u2019 crucial to success.<\/p>\n
After enjoying a symbiotic relationship with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, that same level of closeness did not appear evident in his first season at Ferrari, with the Scuderia recently confirming Riccardo Adami has taken on a new role within the organisation.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari engineer switch: \u2018Something needed to change\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s new race engineer has not yet been named by Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc\u2019s race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, understood to be working with both Ferrari drivers during the first pre-season shakedown test in Barcelona next week.<\/p>\n Hamilton and Adami shared several terse exchanges on team radio through the 2025 season, and with the importance of the driver-engineer relationship having been brought up as a result of this change, Brundle emphasised the value of Hamilton having people around him who understand \u2018Lewis-speak\u2019 \u2013 knowing exactly what he means and interpreting his conversations \u2013 which could ultimately enhance his performances.<\/p>\n Having heard team radio exchanges between the seven-time World Champion and his now-former race engineer, however, the former Formula 1 driver added that a change was needed.<\/p>\n \u201cSurprised it probably didn\u2019t happen a bit earlier, really, judging by all the things that were going on last year,\u201d Brundle told Sky Sports News at the recent Autosport Awards.<\/p>\n Analysis as Lewis Hamilton set to change Ferrari race engineer<\/p>\n Ferrari planning failure already undermining Lewis Hamilton\u2019s F1 2026 campaign<\/a><\/p>\n PF1 verdict: Our reaction to Ferrari\u2019s Lewis Hamilton race engineer bombshell<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSomething I said on Sky F1 is Lewis needs to go there with a team, so at least they understood \u2018Lewis-speak\u2019 when he\u2019s inside the car, what it all means and to interpret what Lewis really needs behind the wheel.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he needed some some help to really flourish there quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo let\u2019s see who turns up as his engineer now, but just listening to the radio and watching [his] performances, although they obviously put a varnish on it, didn\u2019t they, through last season, something needed to change.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton and Ferrari will be pulling the covers off the team\u2019s 2026 challenger, the SF-26, on Friday 23 January, with Hamilton and Leclerc set to take part in shakedown running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26 to 30.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n