Ferrari Keeps Carlo Santi as Lewis Hamilton's Race Engineer for Miami

Lewis Hamilton will have Carlo Santi in his corner as his race engineer when the F1 caravan rolls into Miami for the Grand Prix. Hamilton, who recently notched up his first podium finish of the 2026 season in China, will continue to work with Santi, his interim race engineer. Although Ferrari had initially planned to appoint Cedric Michel-Grosjean to the role, the timeline for this change remains undefined.

Hamilton's first year with Ferrari in 2025 was a rough ride, with no podium finishes and a strained relationship with his then race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Ferrari's decision to replace Adami with Santi, who was previously Kimi Raikkonen's engineer, was seen as a temporary fix. Santi returned to the pit wall after a stint away from race-day duties, but his tenure was never meant to be long-term.

Yet, as the Miami race looms, it's clear that Hamilton will continue with Santi at least for now. The seven-time world champion had expressed concerns about the potential disruption from changing engineers mid-season. "It's not ideal," Hamilton said earlier this year. "Switching engineers partway through a season isn't the best scenario, especially when you want consistency. But we’ll make do."

Hamilton's results in 2026 have been promising, with a podium in China and strong finishes in Australia and Japan. Ferrari is eager to close the gap to Mercedes, who have dominated the early part of the season. The Scuderia is expected to bring significant upgrades to Miami, including developments initially planned for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, races cancelled earlier this year.

Ferrari has also planned a filming day at Monza to gather promotional content and test their power units on one of the most demanding circuits for energy management. Hamilton has been vocal about the advantages Mercedes possesses in straight-line speed, an area Ferrari is keen to improve.

In the meantime, Hamilton and Ferrari will aim to carry their positive momentum into Miami, even as the team continues its search for a permanent race engineer. For now, Santi remains the man on the headset, guiding Hamilton through the twists and turns of another challenging season.