Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has dismissed suggestions that the absence of a confirmed permanent race engineer for Lewis Hamilton could disrupt the team’s preparations for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton worked with Ricardo Adami during his first year at Ferrari, but the partnership ended ahead of the upcoming campaign. With the season opener just over two weeks away, a long-term replacement has yet to be officially named, prompting speculation within the paddock about communication stability on the pit wall.
Last season, radio exchanges between Hamilton and Adami occasionally drew attention, particularly when the seven-time world champion expressed frustration during races. However, Vasseur rejected the idea that the current situation is creating any negative atmosphere within the team.
“The collaboration between the team and Lewis on the pit wall is very good,” Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365. “My feeling is very positive, and we will continue to improve. The mindset is to try to do a better job tomorrow than today.”
During pre-season testing, Hamilton has been working alongside Carlo Santi, a former race engineer of Kimi Räikkönen. At the same time, reports have linked Ferrari with Cedric Michel-Grosjean, who recently departed McLaren, as a potential long-term solution.
Vasseur, however, made clear that he wants the focus to move away from the subject.
“Please stop with this story,” he said firmly. “If you look around the paddock, you have six or seven new engineers each year, and the same with team principals. That is not the end of a team.”
He stressed that modern Formula 1 operations are structured around collective performance rather than individual roles. With approximately 1,500 personnel within Ferrari, the race engineer is part of a much larger technical framework.
“The guy you see on the pit wall is leading a team of people working on the car. It’s not about individuals. In F1, it’s always about the team — never about the individual.”
Ferrari’s priority remains maximising the performance of its SF-26 package ahead of the season opener, with Vasseur underlining that internal cohesion and technical progress outweigh external speculation regarding personnel changes.
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