Ferrari Fans Deliver Clear Verdict on Lewis Hamilton Engineer Shake-Up
Ferrari’s decision to remove Riccardo Adami from Lewis Hamilton’s side has received overwhelming backing from Formula 1 fans, following a turbulent first season together at the Scuderia.
Adami, who previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, has been reassigned internally to roles within the Ferrari Driver Academy and the team’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme. His departure as Hamilton’s race engineer comes after a year in which communication issues and on-track frustrations became increasingly visible.
While some early difficulties were expected given Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari for the 2025 season, signs that the partnership was failing to fully click persisted throughout the year. Even during the Abu Dhabi season finale, radio exchanges suggested a lack of complete harmony, with Hamilton forced to repeat instructions multiple times during the race.
The move means Hamilton will now work with his third race engineer in as many seasons, following Peter Bonnington’s departure at Mercedes in 2024 and Adami’s single season at Ferrari in 2025. As pre-season testing approaches and the opening round of the 2026 season in Australia on March 8 draws closer, Ferrari has yet to officially confirm who will take over the role.
Despite the uncertainty, fan reaction to the decision has been emphatic. A poll conducted following the announcement revealed that 91.53% of respondents believe Ferrari made the correct call by removing Adami from Hamilton’s side. Only 8.47% felt the Italian engineer was unfairly treated or that the team had made a mistake.
Supporters of Ferrari’s decision pointed to the repeated communication problems seen across the season, arguing that the Hamilton–Adami pairing never reached the level of clarity and trust required to fight consistently at the front of the grid. For many fans, the change was viewed as a necessary step if Ferrari is to mount a genuine title challenge under the new 2026 regulations.
However, those backing Adami offered a different perspective. Some argued that the experienced engineer had been made a scapegoat for results that did not meet the lofty expectations surrounding Hamilton’s arrival.
One fan described the situation as “sad,” suggesting that Adami was unfairly blamed for Hamilton failing to immediately deliver championship-contending performances. Others echoed that sentiment, claiming Ferrari had “sidelined the wrong man” and questioning whether the root cause of the team’s struggles lay elsewhere.
A recurring theme among Adami’s defenders was Ferrari’s broader structural issues. Some pointed out that multiple world champions have struggled to achieve sustained success at Maranello in recent years, regardless of who sat on the pit wall or behind the wheel.
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were both cited as examples of elite drivers who arrived at Ferrari with championship pedigrees but left without titles. From this viewpoint, Adami’s reassignment was seen less as a reflection of his performance and more as a symptom of deeper, long-standing problems within Ferrari’s operational system.
Others, however, highlighted that Adami had also experienced tense relationships with previous drivers, including Vettel and Sainz, suggesting a pattern that justified Ferrari’s decision. For these fans, the team’s move was about optimizing communication and ensuring Hamilton has the support structure he needs to maximize his final years in Formula 1.
With Ferrari aiming to avoid falling behind rivals like Red Bull and Mercedes in 2026, the pressure is firmly on the Scuderia to get this next appointment right. Whether the engineer change proves to be a turning point or merely another chapter in Ferrari’s ongoing search for stability will become clear once the new season begins.
For now, the verdict from fans is unmistakable: Ferrari’s bold call has the backing of the vast majority — but the real judgment will be delivered on the track.
