Karun Chandhok has raised serious concerns about Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing uncertainty regarding his race engineer as Ferrari prepares for the 2026 season. With the new Formula 1 campaign imminent, the Italian team has yet to confirm who will replace Riccardo Adami, Hamilton’s race engineer during his first year at Ferrari, raising alarm bells ahead of the start of testing and competition.
Despite testing already underway in Barcelona, Hamilton remains without a permanent race engineer assigned, a situation Chandhok described as far from ideal. The lack of a stable engineering partnership comes after Ferrari announced earlier this month that Adami would not continue in his role following Hamilton’s debut year with the Scuderia.
Interim Arrangements and Their Impact on Driver-Engineer Relations
According to Chandhok, Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc’s race engineer, was tasked with overseeing Hamilton’s car during Tuesday’s testing sessions.
That confuses me, if I’m perfectly honest,
Chandhok remarked.
That relationship between driver and race engineer is so, so important.
The former Formula 1 driver emphasized how essential a strong, intuitive connection is between a driver and their race engineer. He explained that effective communication often involves unspoken understanding and quick intuition during races, which is crucial for timely decision-making.
Getting the feedback from the driver, in my experience, a good engineer-driver relationship are the unspoken things,
Chandhok said.
When one is complaining about something, the other is able to finish their sentence and say ‘we’re going to do this’.
Previous Season’s Difficulties Highlight Need for Stability
The 2025 Formula 1 campaign illustrated some friction in Hamilton’s working relationship with Adami, with communications during races sometimes sounding less than smooth. Hamilton was occasionally heard expressing frustration over radio procedures, indicating that the partnership never fully gelled. This history makes the current uncertainty around his race engineer even more concerning.
Chandhok believes Ferrari should have taken stronger measures during the offseason to solidify the partnership between Hamilton and his new race engineer before the team resumed competitive testing and preparations.
Hamilton’s first year at Maranello fell short of expectations, and the unsettled engineer situation adds an extra challenge as he aims to improve his performance in the upcoming season. This unknown factor surrounding his race engineer could hamper his ability to develop the necessary understanding and trust needed to succeed.
Winter Months Overlooked for Building Essential Team Bonds
Chandhok expressed surprise that Ferrari has not used the winter period to help Hamilton build a working relationship with his replacement engineer. Simulation sessions, testing of previous car setups, or other collaborative team activities could have been instrumental in fostering rapport and ensuring smoother communication once official testing began.
They haven’t created a situation where Lewis is building that relationship over the winter,
Chandhok observed.
To me, I’m slightly confused that as we sit here, we’ve already started testing, that bonding and relationship-building hasn’t started, off the back of a season which was not good,
he added.
He also noted that the role of a race engineer extends beyond on-track interactions, as these engineers need to integrate well into the broader team environment, even during periods when drivers are not present.
Looking Ahead to the New F1 Season in Melbourne
The 2026 Formula 1 season officially begins in Melbourne on March 8. With Ferrari’s unresolved engineer situation for Lewis Hamilton, questions remain about how quickly the seven-time world champion can develop the vital trust and connection with his new engineer to improve his chances of success.
Given the challenges faced last year and the tension surrounding this ongoing uncertainty, the coming weeks will be crucial for Hamilton and Ferrari to establish a stable partnership as they seek better results moving forward.
