[Saba Sports News] After securing his first runner-up finish since joining Ferrari at the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton wore a relaxed look he had not shown in a long while. He believes a key change has contributed to his recent upturn in form: the team’s decision to assign him a new race engineer.
Last season, Hamilton struggled constantly while working with his former engineer Riccardo Adami. Their radio exchanges grew tense and awkward on multiple occasions from the Australian Grand Prix all the way to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As Hamilton was settling into life at Ferrari, the poor rapport disrupted his race rhythm. During the off-season, Ferrari transferred Adami to its junior driver programme, and Carlo Santi took over as Hamilton’s new race engineer. Though the arrangement was initially temporary, their partnership has yielded positive results after just a few races.
Following the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton did not hold back his satisfaction with his new teammate. He revealed that he tested an entirely new car setup over the weekend, and Santi provided tremendous support in data analysis and vehicle configuration. He thoroughly enjoys working alongside Santi.
In my opinion, replacing Hamilton’s race engineer stands out as one of Ferrari’s wisest moves this season. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed his best race result since joining the team. He also engaged in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle with Max Verstappen, once again demonstrating the race craft of a true championship contender.