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So, it finally happened. Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton have officially pulled the trigger on a massive personnel change, and honestly, it’s about time. After a 2025 season that can only be described as a slow-motion car crash, the Scuderia confirmed on January 16, 2026, that Riccardo Adami is out as Hamilton’s race engineer.
He’s not being fired—Ferrari doesn't usually do that in such a public way—but he’s being moved to the "Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy." Basically, he’s going to work with the kids and test old cars. For a guy who worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, that’s a pretty loud demotion from the front lines.
If you’ve been following the news for lewis hamilton lately, you know the vibe has been off for months. Like, really off.
Why the Adami-Hamilton Partnership imploded
Let’s be real: the radio transcriptions from last season were painful to read. It wasn't just a lack of chemistry; it was a total breakdown in communication. Remember Monaco? Hamilton finishes the race, asks Adami if he’s "upset with me or something," and gets stone-cold silence back. Ferrari tried to blame it on a "lack of direct communication" at that specific part of the track, but fans weren't buying it.
The frustration peaked in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton actually snapped at Adami to "stop telling me I'm racing people" when the engineer mentioned Gabriel Bortoleto. You’ve got a seven-time world champ who basically felt like he was being treated like a rookie.
It’s easy to blame the engineer, but the car was a total dog. The SF-25 was undeveloped because Ferrari stopped working on it in April 2025 to focus on the 2026 regs. Hamilton was stuck driving a "worst-designed" car that he said gave him an "unbearable amount of anger and rage." That’s a heavy quote. When a driver of his caliber is finishing 16th or 19th in qualifying—which happened multiple times at the end of last year—something has to break.
The brutal 2025 stats that forced Ferrari's hand
If you look at the raw numbers, the 2025 season was statistically the worst of Lewis's entire life. Not just his Ferrari life. His entire life.
- Zero podiums. For the first time in 19 years.
- Qualifying deficit: Outqualified by Charles Leclerc 19 to 5.
- Championship finish: 6th place with 156 points (Leclerc had 242).
- The Q1 nightmare: Three consecutive Q1 exits to end the season.
People were genuinely asking if he’d lost his "edge." Ralf Schumacher even went on Sky Deutschland and straight-up suggested it was time for Lewis to retire. He said the "film is too fast now" for Hamilton. That’s a spicy take, but when you're 41 and getting beat by your teammate almost every weekend, people are going to talk.
The 2026 reset: Is it enough?
The big question now is who takes the headset next. Ferrari hasn't named the new race engineer yet, but the pressure is massive. 2026 is the year of the big regulation change. New engines, active aero, the works. If Lewis can’t find that "click" with his new engineer during pre-season testing in Barcelona, the retirement rumors are going to go from a whisper to a roar.
There’s also this weird rumor floating around about Christian Horner. Since he left Red Bull, some reports claim Ferrari might look at him if Fred Vasseur can’t turn things around. The word is that Lewis would "walk out" if Horner ever showed up in Maranello. Kinda wild to think about, but F1 has seen stranger things.
Hamilton seems to be doubling down, though. He’s told everyone he’s "excited for a new generation of car" and that he’s not going anywhere. He’s disconnecting this winter—literally turning off his phone—to reset.
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What this means for your 2026 F1 bets
If you're looking at the news for lewis hamilton to figure out if he's still a contender, keep an eye on the first few days of testing. The relationship with the new engineer is the #1 thing to watch. If the radio calls sound smooth and the "unbearable rage" is gone, he might just pull off that 8th title. But if he’s still fighting the car’s balance and snapping at the pit wall, 2026 might be the farewell tour.
Steps to track Hamilton's 2026 comeback
To really see if this engineering shake-up is working, you should watch these specific markers over the next few weeks:
- Watch for the Engineer Announcement: See if Ferrari promotes from within or brings in someone Lewis specifically requested. A familiar face from his Mercedes days would be a huge tell.
- Monitor Barcelona Testing Times: Don't just look at the fastest lap. Look at the long-run consistency. If the car is "random" again, Lewis will struggle.
- Check the Qualy Gap: If the gap to Leclerc stays at 0.3s or more during the first three races, the engineering change didn't fix the core issue.
- Listen to the Radio: In the first race at Melbourne (March 6), pay attention to the tone. If it's short, professional, and calm, the "surroundings" change Lewis asked for is working.