Hamilton-Santi, will it be forever yes?
Carlo Santi had been assigned to Lewis Hamilton in winter as his interim track engineer, pending the hiring of Riccardo Adami’s replacement – who had held the role last year. But a professional spark ignited between the Italian engineer and the English champion, so much so that Ferrari decided to keep him in that role even after the first races and after the arrival from McLaren of Cedric Michel-Grosjean – who seemed to be the person indicated for that task.
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Santi is the Italian ‘Bono’
On Thursday in Monaco, speaking with Sky Sports Uk, Lewis Hamilton paid Carlo Santi perhaps the best possible compliment: “Having a collaboration between driver and engineer is sometimes a bit of a matter of luck. With me and Bono, it was a success from the start. I have a feeling that Carlo is my Italian ‘Bono’. I even told Bono the other day, he’s a veteran. He’s a bit older and has seen it all, he’s also very calm and you can hear it on the radio. Furthermore, I believe our understanding of the engineering aspect is something to highlight.”
Hamilton then wanted to highlight how the progress at the start of 2026 is due to better team integration: “I have managed to move many pieces on the chessboard and reposition myself within the team. Now we are collaborating really well and I have the right engineers I need. I feel like I have contributed to this year’s car and that it is going in a direction I particularly like.”
In the first five races of this season, Lewis Hamilton has achieved two podium finishes, reaching that top 3 which he had never achieved in his first season at Ferrari.
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