Lewis Hamilton's partnership with his Ferrari race engineer, Riccardo Adami, has been formally terminated ahead of the new Formula 1 season. The split concludes a challenging first year for the British driver at the Scuderia, marked by public disagreements over team radio and a lack of podium finishes.
A Partnership That Never Clicked
The collaboration between the seven-time world champion and the experienced Italian engineer was fraught with difficulty from the outset. Their frequent on-air squabbles became a source of amusement for television audiences, beginning at the very first race of the 2025 season in Australia. The core issue was a fundamental clash in instincts and communication style, a stark contrast to the successful partnership Adami had previously enjoyed with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel had personally recommended Adami to Hamilton during a phone call before Hamilton's high-profile £60-million-a-year move to Maranello. However, the chemistry that worked so well for the German driver never materialised for Hamilton. The tension was epitomised by Hamilton's regular cockpit refrain of 'Leave it to me' as frustrations mounted.
The Breaking Point in Miami
The most notable public breakdown occurred at the Miami Grand Prix. Hamilton, visibly frustrated at being unable to pass teammate Charles Leclerc, snapped at the pit wall's indecision over team orders. His sarcastic remark, 'Have a cup of tea while you're at it,' highlighted a deep impatience with Adami's strategic approach. This incident laid bare the misalignment that plagued their season.
Despite the problems, the decision to part ways had been settled privately before the final race of 2025 in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton ended his debut Ferrari campaign in a disappointing sixth place in the drivers' championship, without a single podium finish. While issues with an unpredictable car were a factor, the strained engineer-driver relationship was a significant feature of the overall malaise.
Adami's New Role and Hamilton's Future
Ferrari announced the change last night, stating that Riccardo Adami has moved to a new position within the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. The team thanked him for his commitment and noted his extensive trackside experience would now contribute to developing future talent.
The identity of Hamilton's new race engineer for car #44 is yet to be revealed. Speculation that he might be reunited with his former Mercedes engineer, Peter 'Bono' Bonnington, has been firmly quashed. A source in Italy told Daily Mail Sport there is 'no chance' of Bonnington leaving Mercedes, where he is under a new contract and working successfully with rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari confirmed that an announcement regarding Hamilton's new engineer will be made in due course, as the team and driver look to reset before the season opener in Melbourne on March 8.
