Ferrari is overhauling Lewis Hamilton’s garage after a challenging 2025 season, the first year in his career without a podium finish.
The team confirmed that Riccardo Adami has officially left his role as Hamilton’s race engineer to lead the Ferrari Driver Academy. Carlo Santi, who guided Kimi Raikkonen to victory at the 2018 United States Grand Prix, is currently overseeing the SF-26 shakedown at Fiorano. He is widely seen as a temporary solution.
Ferrari’s 2025 season exposed a gap between Hamilton’s driving style and the SF-25 car’s setup. With 2026 regulations introducing active aerodynamics and a 50/50 hybrid power split, Ferrari cannot afford another year of misalignment.
The team is reportedly targeting Tom Stallard from McLaren. Stallard has helped Lando Norris reach top performance and is known for a collaborative engineering style that suits Hamilton’s feedback-driven approach.
A Ferrari source said, “2025 was the reset. 2026 is the mission. We need someone who speaks Lewis’s language before the first race in Melbourne.”
The SF-26 has already completed its initial laps at Fiorano, signaling the start of Ferrari’s push to give Hamilton a stronger platform for the new era.