Lewis Hamilton found his “Italian Bono”...

Lewis Hamilton was beaming with reward for brand spanking new race engineer Carlo Santi, who he described as his “Italian Bono” after a much-improved begin to the 2026 Formulation 1 season.

Hamilton struck a title-winning partnership with Peter Bonnington throughout his 12 seasons at Mercedes, however that relationship ended when the seven-time world champion joined Ferrari in 2025.

The Briton joined forces with Ferrari stalwart Riccardo Adami, who labored with Hamilton’s predecessor Carlos Sainz, however the two struggled to type a very efficient partnership.

So Hamilton went searching for somebody new in 2026 and the early rounds have seen him work with Santi, who was Kimi Raikkonen’s engineer through the late 2010s.

Though off-track commitments imply Santi is not going to serve at each spherical, with Ferrari additionally having signed Cedric Michel-Grosjean, he’s working with Hamilton in Monaco this weekend.

“Driver-engineer working collectively could be very, crucial,” stated Hamilton. “Adami and I had a extremely good relationship, he was a beautiful man, we labored comparatively effectively collectively.

“I feel catering to a driver’s wants takes time to be taught. If you’re giving an engineer suggestions, they’re understanding via nook stability, they’re understanding all the weather that contribute to the struggles of driving.

“You attempt to describe what it’s, the issue you may have, nook by nook, entry, center, exit, otherwise you dissect it into 5 sections if you need. Having that driver-engineer collab, it is hit or miss typically.

“With me and Bono, other than the start, he had working relationship with Michael [Schumacher, Hamilton’s predecessor at Mercedes]. I do really feel like Carlo is like my Italian Bono.

“I informed Bono that the opposite day. By way of, he is a little bit of an OG. He is an older man that is been across the block. He is very calm, you may hear on the radio. That is the element that we’re ready to enter collectively. Our understanding of the engineering facet, I feel it is one thing that is price taking a look at.”

This comes amid a constructive begin to the 12 months for Hamilton, who has claimed his first two grand prix podiums at Ferrari to sit down fourth within the championship and three factors behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

It’s an enormous enchancment from final 12 months, when the world champion struggled all through. However, he typically acknowledged that adaptation takes time with the 2026 regulation change being his shining mild.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs

“What most individuals do not realise is the work that goes on that you must do within the background,” added Hamilton. “After all you see drivers prior to now like Kimi, for instance, who simply be a part of a staff and drive the automobile, and typically it really works, typically it would not.

“For me, I’ve come to a staff that, as I discussed final 12 months, has all the pieces it must succeed, but it surely’s simply needing the items of the puzzle put in the fitting place to ensure that it to get there.

“And I have been 100% dedicated to attending to that time, realizing that it was tough, notably via the primary a part of final 12 months, it was very, very powerful.

“However as I stated within the final race, Fred [Vasseur] has been nice in working with me and serving to me. For instance, the engineer setup is one million instances higher than it was final 12 months and I am beginning to see the fruits of that via how I am driving the automobile.

“So, it is nice to have the ability to be part of working with everybody to maneuver the ship in the fitting route. We nonetheless have an extended technique to go and we nonetheless want to enhance in some areas, however I feel we’re on the fitting path.”

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– The Motorsport.com Staff