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The architecture of a Formula 1 driver's success rests on foundations often invisible to casual observers. A perfectly tuned chassis matters. A reliable power unit matters. But perhaps nothing shapes a season more profoundly than the relationship between a driver and their race engineer—the singular voice guiding them through 24 grueling weekends of competition.
For Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, that foundation crumbled within his first year.
Riccardo Adami's tenure as Hamilton's race engineer lasted just one season, ending in January when Ferrari confirmed he would transition to a role within the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy as Driver Academy and Test Previous Cars Manager. On paper, it appeared a sensible pairing: Adami had engineered Carlos Sainz, Ferrari's most recent grand prix winner, and guided Sebastian Vettel through his championship years. His credentials were impeccable. His compatibility with Hamilton was not.
Throughout 2025, the relationship between driver and engineer deteriorated visibly, punctuated by tense radio exchanges and frequent disconnects. Hamilton frequently requested additional information mid-race or, conversely, asked Adami simply to stop talking on the team radio. By season's end, Hamilton managed only a single podium finish across 24 grand prix weekends—a stark contrast to expectations surrounding his switch to the Scuderia.
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix sprint victory, while welcome, offered scant evidence of a turnaround. The 41-year-old now faces the critical challenge of proving that result was not an anomaly, and that he retains the pace and mentality to claim an eighth world championship before retirement.
This reality exposes a crucial truth: experience and past success do not guarantee driver-engineer compatibility.
As Ferrari prepares to announce Hamilton's new race engineer—rumored to be Cedric Michel-Grosjean, the former McLaren performance engineer—skepticism has emerged. Michel-Grosjean has never served as a race engineer in Formula 1. Elevating him to engineer the sport's most decorated active driver under a revolutionary new technical ruleset represents considerable risk.
Yet this unconventional choice may prove precisely what Hamilton requires.
Michel-Grosjean arrives unburdened by Ferrari's institutional culture. He was forged in McLaren's meritocratic environment, where Oscar Piastri flourished last season. He carries no ingrained habits shaped by previous Ferrari drivers. He offers Hamilton something invaluable: a genuine partnership built on mutual learning rather than established hierarchies.
The contrast with Adami is instructive. Despite Adami's proven track record, he and Hamilton never found common ground. Their communication fractured. Their rhythms never synchronized. Adami's experience—the very credential that made his hiring logical—may have created rigidity incompatible with Hamilton's working style.
A fresh engineer unencumbered by Ferrari convention could provide exactly the clean slate Hamilton needs. McLaren's methodical approach to performance data and driver psychology—demonstrated by their championship resurgence—offers a contrasting philosophy to Ferrari's sometimes volatile internal dynamics.
The first pre-season test begins February 11-13, with a second session following February 18-20. The Australian Grand Prix, where Hamilton will debut his new engineering partnership, arrives March 8. Time for driver and engineer to build chemistry is vanishingly short.
Ferrari's decision to announce the engineering change only in January, months after making the decision, has drawn criticism for limiting the bonding period. This timeline makes the selection of Hamilton's replacement even more critical. An engineer who requires gradual integration could compromise already-compressed preparation.
The counterargument—that Michel-Grosjean's inexperience as a race engineer represents unacceptable risk—collapses under scrutiny. Hamilton did not fail in 2025 because Adami lacked experience. He failed because the partnership fractured fundamentally. A proven failure proves nothing except that compatibility transcends credentials.
Ferrari must look beyond Maranello's walls for this decision. Hamilton's championship dreams depend on it.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.