Lewis Hamilton’s new engineer is reportedly connected to a future move to Ferrari in 2026, following the announcement that Riccardo Adami, Hamilton’s current race engineer, will step down after a challenging first season together. This development comes as Ferrari prepares for the upcoming Formula 1 season with testing already underway in Barcelona, though the team has yet to officially name Hamilton’s successor on the pit wall. Among the possible candidates, Cedric Michel-Grosjean, a former McLaren engineer, has emerged as a key figure linked to Ferrari’s plans.
During Sky Sports’ coverage of the Barcelona testing, journalists Ted Kravitz and Craig Slater highlighted that Grosjean – who recently left McLaren and is currently on gardening leave – is expected to join Ferrari. Slater stated,
“We’re talking about Cedric Michel-Grosjean. He was a performance engineer at McLaren, left the company in December, is on gardening leave at the moment. I understand he is Ferrari-bound.”
Despite this, uncertainty remains about whether Grosjean will directly assume the role of Hamilton’s race engineer. As Slater observed,
“Is he going to be Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, though? He has never been a race engineer within Formula 1. A good numbers guy, he was able to marry the numbers to Oscar Piastri last season, apparently, very effectively, so someone that could work in that area.”
He added,
“But quite a step, isn’t it, if he does get that job, to have never been a race engineer? For your first job to be with the seven-time world champion under a new ruleset at Ferrari, but let’s watch this space. No confirmation from Ferrari that it will be him.”
In the meantime, Charles Leclerc’s current race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, is stepping in during the early days of the Barcelona shakedown, while Ferrari aims to finalize Hamilton’s new race engineer by the Bahrain testing sessions.
Cedric Michel-Grosjean’s Career Journey and Expertise
Cedric Michel-Grosjean brings close to nine years of experience from McLaren, where his career began as a racing technology intern. By 2017, he contributed as a strategy volunteer and later progressed to the role of data scientist. His expertise grew further when he became a trackside car performance engineer in 2018, steadily advancing to senior trackside car performance engineer by 2023. His role was regarded as pivotal in McLaren’s resurgence within Formula 1’s competitive landscape.
Starting in 2023, Grosjean took charge of optimizing car performance and supporting driver development for Oscar Piastri. Throughout Piastri’s pursuit of the 2025 title, Grosjean served as lead trackside performance engineer, expertly managing vehicle settings like differential configuration, brake balance, engine braking, and throttle controls.
His involvement in fine-tuning these critical parameters alongside the race engineer helped address both handling and driving performance during races. Grosjean credits himself with contributing to
“seven victories and sixteen podiums during the 2025 season and winning the 2025 constructors’ championship for the second time in a row.”
Implications of the Engineering Transition for Hamilton’s Future
The possible transition to Cedric Michel-Grosjean as Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer would mark a significant step for the French engineer, especially given his lack of previous race engineer experience in Formula 1. However, his demonstrated technical skills and recent success with McLaren’s championship-winning campaign position him as a promising prospect to support a seven-time world champion during a period of regulatory changes and high expectations at Ferrari.
As Ferrari continues to prepare for the upcoming season, the confirmation of Hamilton’s race engineer will play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of the driver-engineer partnership. The move has wider implications for Ferrari’s 2026 ambitions and Hamilton’s efforts to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving Formula 1 environment.
