Hamilton race‑engineer choice

Lewis Hamilton will keep Carlo Santi as his race engineer for the Miami Grand Prix, with Ferrari delaying any switch to Cedric Michel-Grosjean until after May 3. (planetf1.com) PlanetF1 reported that Santi, who stepped in after Riccardo Adami moved to a Ferrari academy and testing role in January, will stay on Hamilton’s radio in Miami. The same report said Ferrari has set no firm date for Michel-Grosjean to take over. (planetf1.com) (formula1.com) Motorsport Week reported that Michel-Grosjean, a former McLaren trackside engineer, has joined Ferrari and is already working with the team, but has not formally assumed Hamilton’s race-engineer role. That leaves Hamilton with continuity for the first race back after Formula 1’s April shutdown. (motorsportweek.com) A race engineer is the voice a driver hears all weekend: lap times, tire calls, traffic, setup changes and pit-stop timing all flow through that one person. Ferrari changed Hamilton’s setup after a difficult 2025 season that included repeated tense radio exchanges with Adami. (formula1.com) (motorsport.com) The timing is tied to the calendar. Formula 1 confirmed on March 14 that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix would not take place in April, and Miami on May 3 became the next round after a five-week gap. (formula1.com) (fia.com) That break has turned factories into development shops. PlanetF1 reported Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies calling Miami a “second season launch,” with teams using the pause to rush through upgrades in the first year of Formula 1’s new rules cycle. (planetf1.com) Ferrari had looked set to use the same window to bed in Hamilton’s longer-term engineer pairing, but the latest reporting points the other way. Keeping Santi for Miami reduces one variable while Ferrari prepares the car and Hamilton prepares for a sprint-style return to racing after more than a month away. (planetf1.com) (motorsportweek.com) Ferrari has not publicly announced the permanent replacement first promised in January. Until that changes, Hamilton’s most important off-track decision before Miami appears to be no decision at all. (formula1.com)