Ferrari may be preparing an important change for Lewis Hamilton in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The team already has a possible new race engineer for the seven-time champion, but has not yet defined when, or even if, the change will be made.
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This uncertainty involves Ferrari’s structure for the remainder of the season. Although the team already has an internal alternative, Carlo Santi currently remains as Hamilton’s race engineer and continues to perform the role on the pit wall.
Ferrari has been looking for some time for the ideal setup to work with the Briton. After Riccardo Adami’s departure, Santi took over the post and remained in the role, even without the initial certainty that it would be a long-term solution. Still, the team made it clear that his presence was not treated as something provisional.
Meanwhile, the name of Cédric Michel-Grosjean has begun to gain momentum behind the scenes. The French engineer recently worked at McLaren as Lead Trackside Performance Engineer, collaborating with drivers like Oscar Piastri. He left the British team at the end of last year, and his destination remained unknown.
Now, the situation has been clarified. Michel-Grosjean, who is not related to former F1 driver Romain Grosjean, has joined Ferrari and is currently in an adaptation phase within the Italian team. There is a possibility of him taking over the role as Hamilton’s race engineer later this season, but the timing of this eventual change remains uncertain.
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For now, there is still no confirmation if this change could happen as early as the Miami GP. For now, the French engineer’s focus is on integrating into Ferrari’s structure, while Santi continues to perform his duties normally alongside Hamilton.
The uncertainty is not new within the team. During pre-season testing in Barcelona, there were already doubts about the division of responsibilities. On that occasion, Santi worked with possible behind-the-scenes support from Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc’s current race engineer.
Subsequently, in the Bahrain tests, Santi reappeared on the pit wall, reinforcing Ferrari’s message. The team made it clear at that time that he was not just a temporary solution, but rather Hamilton’s current race engineer, even with the arrival of new names to the team.
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