Key Lewis Hamilton decision made for F1 2026 after Adami talks – report

Riccardo Adami is expected to remain as Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari race engineer for the F1 2026 season, it has been claimed.

It comes after Hamilton and team principal Fred Vasseur both left the door open to a potential change to the seven-time world champion’s inner circle for 2026.

Rumour: Riccardo Adami to continue as Lewis Hamilton race engineer for F1 2026

Hamilton endured a disastrous first year with Ferrari in F1 2025, failing to score a podium finish across a season for the first time in his illustrious career.

The British driver’s campaign was defined by a series of awkward team radio exchanges with Adami, who previously served as race engineer to Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

As reported by PlanetF1.com last week, Vasseur refused to rule out a change of race engineer for Hamilton for F1 2026, simply commenting: “We are evaluating all options.”

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That came after Hamilton himself had teased potential changes to his “personal team” for next season at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Asked what needs to happen over the winter for him to approach the 2026 season with confidence, Hamilton told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I think we just need to analyse where we’ve been, what’s been good, areas that we can improve on.

“I’ve highlighted and I know where they all are. It’s sitting down with the team at the end of the year.

“I’ll look internally at my personal team, away from the track, and see what we can do more to make more efficient with the timing and traveling and all these different things.

“I’ll do the same with the team.”

A report by Italian publication Auto Racer has claimed that Adami is set to stay in his role for F1 2026 after what has been described as a ‘very positive’ dinner with Hamilton away from the track.

Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of 2025 after 12 seasons with Mercedes, where Peter Bonnington served as his race engineer throughout the seven-time world champion’s stint at Brackley.

Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets at the penultimate race in Qatar, Ferrari head of track engineering Matteo Togninalli insisted that the relationship between team and driver remains “extremely positive” despite perceptions outside Ferrari.

Togninalli said: “I’m sure you are all aware, but for the driver changing team, mainly for a driver like Lewis, who spent 10 years in the same team, has a certain level of experience…

“It is very difficult for both sides, for the driver and for the team, because every team is operating in a slightly different way.

“You are used to certain people. You are used to doing things in a certain way.

“Then, if you put this in context, Lewis was fighting for world championships, and it’s a fact this year we didn’t achieve the target of fighting for the world championship.

“So you put the frustration in this, creating the situation.

“I think what you see from the outside is much worse than what it is.

“I think the relationship with Lewis, what we are building with Lewis, is extremely positive.”

Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head scores for F1 2025

F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

He added: “If you put it in context again, you spend 10 years in the same team with the same people, and, after 10 months, I think we already have a very, very strong team.

“Nevertheless, the frustration, the results are creating this image of ourselves and of Ferrari that I believe is much, much worse than what is real.

“While frustrating, the parties accept that we need some time to adapt to each other.

“I don’t think the relationship is as bad as you all think but I’m sure, with time, we can improve.

“Results is the best help for us. Giving the performing car and results, I think, is fundamental.

“We are racers, he is a racer, so the frustration when we lose is massive.”

Ferrari announced earlier this month that its 2026 car – codenamed Project 678 – will be officially launched on January 23, three days before the start of F1’s behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona.

As reported by PlanetF1.com last month, a pushrod rear suspension is set to feature on a Ferrari F1 car for the first time since 2010 next season.

Red Bull is also expected to follow Ferrari’s design route by having a pushrod suspension at the front and rear of its new RB22 car.

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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