Rob Smedley has known as out one race engineer trait that “pains” him as he analysed Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer swap at Ferrari.
The previous Ferrari race engineer claimed that these in the identical function ought to have sufficient information to reply a driver immediately.
“I truthfully suppose it’s 50/50,” he defined on the Excessive Efficiency podcast, when requested how a lot of the race engineer’s function is engaged on the mind of the driving force and the technical expertise.
“From what I do know of different sports activities like soccer and rugby, it’s at all times a couple of 50/50 cut up once you work with athletes. In a System 1 workforce, the race engineer is successfully the top coach for that driver, so you possibly can’t flip up with no thought in regards to the technical facet of the job.
“It’s actually vital that you just perceive how the automotive works, how the driving force interacts with the automobile, and the way you optimise that complete package deal. However for those who don’t perceive that there’s a human being within the automotive—an athlete with all the issues that we ‘mere mortals’ have—then it’s by no means going to work.”
In Hamilton’s first season on the Maranello outfit, he struggled to adapt to the brand new workforce and gel along with his race engineer Riccardo Adami. For 2026, Adami has been moved to a different function with the seven-time champion’s new full-time engineer but to be confirmed.
“For those who evaluate it to Max and GP [Gianpiero Lambiase], Lewis is new to the workforce and the connection along with his engineer continues to be fledgling,” Smedley defined.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Pictures
Referring to a radio message in 2025 when Hamilton joked that Adami ought to make a cup of tea whereas he waited for his response to a query, Smedley added: “If these sorts of feedback are occurring on the radio, the connection isn’t totally shaped but, and that’s the place it might probably turn out to be unhealthy. It’s a transparent signal that frustrations are boiling over.
“By the best way, it’s the job of the race engineer to know sufficient in regards to the automotive and be throughout their work in order that when the driving force asks a query, you possibly can reply rapidly. It pains me after I hear ‘we’ll get again to you.’ This isn’t a name centre.
“The driving force is making an attempt to carry out at 10/10 whereas driving at 200mph. Reply him and provides him confidence. For those who reply like you must go ask another person, these tiny moments erode belief, and the connection turns into tense.
“The Ferrari engineer in query has had an extended and profitable profession, and he was beneficial to Lewis by Sebastian Vettel. He had an excellent relationship and numerous success with Sebastian. However typically it’s like my story with Felipe in 2006: if it doesn’t gel, it doesn’t work.”
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