“From what I know of other sports like football and rugby, it\u2019s always about a 50\/50 split when you work with athletes. In a Formula 1 team, the race engineer is effectively the head coach for that driver, so you can\u2019t turn up with no idea about the technical side of the job.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s really important that you understand how the car works, how the driver interacts with the vehicle, and how you optimise that whole package.\u00a0But if you don\u2019t understand that there\u2019s a human being in the car\u2014an athlete with all the flaws that we ‘mere mortals’ have\u2014then it\u2019s never going to work.”<\/p>\n
In Hamilton’s first season at the Maranello outfit, he struggled to adapt to the new team and gel with his race engineer Riccardo Adami. For 2026, Adami has been moved to another role with the seven-time champion’s new full-time engineer yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n
“If you compare it to Max and GP [Gianpiero Lambiase], Lewis is new to the team and the relationship with his engineer is still fledgling,” Smedley explained.<\/p>\n
![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771303512_902_lewis-hamilton-ferrari.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari<\/p>\n
Photo by: Sam Bagnall \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n
Referring to a radio message in 2025 when Hamilton joked that Adami should make a cup of tea while he waited for his response to a question, Smedley added: “If those kinds of comments are happening on the radio, the relationship isn\u2019t fully formed yet, and that\u2019s where it can become unhealthy. It\u2019s a clear sign that frustrations are boiling over.<\/p>\n
“By the way, it is the job of the race engineer to know enough about the car and be across their work so that when the driver asks a question, you can answer quickly. It pains me when I hear ‘we\u2019ll get back to you.’ This isn\u2019t a call centre.<\/p>\n
“The driver is trying to perform at 10\/10 while driving at 200mph. Answer him and give him confidence. If you respond like you need to go ask someone else, those tiny moments erode trust, and the relationship becomes tense.<\/p>\n
“The Ferrari engineer in question has had a long and successful career, and he was recommended to Lewis by Sebastian Vettel. He had a great relationship and a lot of success with Sebastian. But sometimes it\u2019s like my story with Felipe in 2006: if it doesn\u2019t gel, it doesn\u2019t work.”<\/p>\n
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