Lewis Hamilton hailed Ferrari’s newly‑appointed race engineer Carlo Santi as his “Italian Bono” after a promising start to the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.
From Mercedes success to Ferrari challenges
During twelve seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton built a title‑winning rapport with Peter Bonnington, a partnership that dissolved when the seven‑time champion switched to Ferrari in 2025. The move paired him with Riccardo Adami, a stalwart who previously guided Carlos Sainz, yet the duo struggled to replicate the seamless communication Hamilton enjoyed at Mercedes.
Carlo Santi’s pedigree and current duties
Before joining Ferrari, Santi served as Kimi Raikkonen’s engineer in the late‑2010s, earning a reputation for composure under pressure. Off‑track obligations prevent him from attending every Grand Prix, so Ferrari also secured Cedric Michel‑Grosjean to share engineering responsibilities. This weekend, Santi joined Hamilton at the Monaco Grand Prix, replacing Adami for the race.
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Early‑season results signal a turnaround
Hamilton’s collaboration with Santi has already yielded two podium finishes, positioning him fourth in the drivers’ standings and just three points shy of teammate Charles Leclerc. Compared with a difficult 2025, the British driver attributes the improvement to a finer‑tuned engineer‑driver dialogue, noting that dissecting corner balance and sector feedback now happens “corner by corner, entry, middle, exit.”
Technical evolution and team cohesion
Team principal Fred Vasseur received praise for facilitating a “million‑times better” engineer setup than last year, a change Hamilton believes is beginning to pay dividends on the track. He stressed that Ferrari possesses all the necessary assets; the current task is aligning every puzzle piece, especially as the 2026 regulation overhaul continues to shape car behavior.
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With Santi’s seasoned input and the broader technical staff sharpening their focus, Hamilton appears to be steering Ferrari onto a trajectory that could redefine his legacy at the Scuderia.
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