Frontrunner to be Lewis Hamilton’s new Ferrari race engineer in F1 2026 emerges

The frontrunner to develop into Lewis Hamilton’s new Ferrari race engineer has emerged.

Luca Diella, who presently serves as Hamilton’s efficiency engineer, may very well be his subsequent race engineer, in accordance with Italian outfit La Gazzetta dello Sport.

It comes after Ferrari introduced that Riccardo Adami, who engineered Hamilton throughout the seven-time world champion’s debut season with the staff in 2025, can be moved into a brand new function.

“The appointment of the brand new race engineer for automotive quantity 44 might be introduced in the end,” Ferrari confirmed in an announcement.

Diella began work at Ferrari final 12 months however beforehand labored with Hamilton throughout his time at Mercedes.

The Italian engineer joined Mercedes in 2019, initially as a efficiency engineer specializing in the staff’s energy unit optimisation.

Diella labored because the trackside efficiency engineer for Hamilton over a four-season interval.

He reunited with Hamilton to develop into a part of his staff at Ferrari forward of final 12 months’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Why have Ferrari made the change?

Hamilton endured a disappointing first marketing campaign in pink as he failed to complete on the rostrum in a grand prix for the primary time in his illustrious F1 profession.

The 41-year-old Briton did declare a pole place and win within the China dash race, however in any other case had a season to overlook as he completed sixth within the drivers’ championship and was outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton was knocked out within the first a part of qualifying on the last three races of the 2025 season.

One problem that appeared to hinder Hamilton’s adaptation at Ferrari was his relationship with Adami, with the pair by no means really gelling over the course of the 24-race marketing campaign.

Even on the final race of the 12 months in Abu Dhabi, the communication between Hamilton led to confusion.

Hamilton hinted at plans to “shake up” the staff round him forward of his second season with Ferrari.

“By my break I’ll analyse these selections and make markers on how I could make higher selections sooner or later,” he informed Sky Sports activities F1.

“My environment by way of my private personnel, staff personnel, how do you utilise folks, whether or not folks want to maneuver into totally different positions to work higher.

“All these various things must be seemed upon in my private house in order that we will optimise our teamwork.”

Ferrari will unveil their 2026 challenger, the SF-26 on Friday 23 January.