Martin Brundle casts verdict on Lewis Hamilton Ferrari engineer change

Martin Brundle has backed Ferrari’s decision to change Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer ahead of the 2026 F1 season.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton endured a hugely disappointing debut campaign with Ferrari after completing a blockbuster switch from rivals Mercedes last winter.

Hamilton failed to record a grand prix podium in an entire season for the first time in his legendary F1 career and was soundly beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc as Ferrari suffered a torrid winless season and slipped to fourth in the constructors’ championship.

Ferrari confirmed last week that Riccardo Adami has been moved to a different role within the team and that Hamilton would get a new race engineer for his second season in red.

Former F1 driver turned Sky Sports commentator Brundle believes the switch was needed.

"I'm surprised it probably didn't happen a bit earlier, really, judging by all the things that were going on last year," Brundle said.

"Lewis needs to go there with a team so that at least they understand 'Lewis speak' when he's inside the car, what it all means, and to interpret what Lewis really needs behind the wheel.

"Just listening to the radio and watching the performance, although they obviously put a varnish on it through last season, something needed to change.”

Does change ‘heap pressure’ on Hamilton?

Fellow Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft reckons the change “heaps pressure” on Hamilton, who turned 41 earlier this month.

“It has not come as a surprise whatsoever,” Croft told The F1 Show. “That wasn’t a relationship that was going anywhere in a positive way.

“It’s difficult isn’t it? You throw people together and hope that it works. Good companies, good managers, they find a way to integrate people into teams. Bad managers find a way not to integrate people properly and sadly in this respect it didn’t work out.

“But this heaps the pressure on Lewis, it really does. He is more than good enough to cope with that pressure. He’s more than good enough to come through and I hope will feel comforted by the fact he will have an engineer that he has a better relationship with.

“I’m pretty certain there’s somebody already at Ferrari who will step into a new role and move up and that Lewis will have known from years before.”