Lewis Hamilton has candidly admitted that his new race engineer, Carlo Santi, has “reignited” his love for Formula 1.
Last Sunday, Ferrari celebrated its first victory in more than a year, as well as the first win in red for the seven-time world champion. After crossing the finish line in Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton climbed to the top step of the podium with Santi by his side.
Lewis Hamilton quickly developed an excellent working relationship with his new race engineer, who replaced Riccardo Adami this year following a difficult 2025 season. Last season featured several well-publicized communication issues between Lewis Hamilton and Adami, whereas a genuine connection seems to have formed immediately between the British driver and Santi.
The partnership has already proved highly beneficial for Lewis Hamilton, particularly after spending 12 years at Mercedes alongside Peter Bonnington, now the race engineer of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. It is no coincidence that Hamilton has already nicknamed Santi his “Italian Bono”, highlighting the special understanding that has emerged between them.
When asked how it felt to have Santi standing beside him on the podium, Lewis Hamilton spoke warmly about their relationship.
“It was amazing to have him there with me. I think this year he has, in a way, stepped into the role of my engineer and immediately immersed himself in the work alongside me,” the Briton explained after winning the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend..
“We didn’t know each other, we had never spoken before and I knew nothing about him. Then we met and I think we got along straight away. It’s fantastic to be able to build a connection with an engineer who is different from those I’ve worked with in the past.
“I had been doing things the same way for such a long time that, in a sense, you lose that feeling, especially now that Bono has started a new chapter with Kimi as well. It was really special to share that experience with Carlo on the podium because he is probably a very, very quiet person.”
“You can tell that expressing his emotions is not easy for him. He was standing there smiling while I was giving him these big hugs, pulling him close and thanking him. I like to think that this has probably reignited the love he has for his job as an engineer, just as he has done for me as a driver.” – the seven-time Formula 1 world champion concluded.
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