Lewis Hamilton has stated he will “know very early on” whether his relationship with his new Formula 1 race engineer at Ferrari will be successful or not.
The seven-time world champion will have a new race engineer for the first time in 13 years when he makes his switch to Ferrari next season. His long-standing race engineer, Peter Bonnington, known affectionately as Bono, will not be following him, having been promoted to head of race engineering at Mercedes in 2025.
This promotion marks the end of the iconic partnership as Hamilton departs the team at the close of 2024.
While it has not been officially confirmed who will take up the role of Hamilton’s race engineer at Ferrari, Riccardo Adami, who is currently working with Carlos Sainz, is seen as a likely candidate.
“The team often makes these decisions for you,” Hamilton remarked on Thursday at the Dutch Grand Prix.
“In my career, I’ve had two other race engineers. That’s actually incorrect; I’ve had Philip Prew, Andy Lacombe, and one other.”
“When I joined this team, I came in and Bono was the chief engineer at that time. It needs to be someone you get on well with, someone with whom you can easily establish a relationship and whom you trust.”
“So, the next step will be a process of discovery. I will know very early on if it’s going to work or not. I think it’s all about communication.”
Asked whether there would be discussions to facilitate his move to Ferrari before January, Hamilton responded: “No. It’s difficult. It makes things really challenging. I think it’s probably the same for anyone moving into a new office.”
“It only happens once you’re there, but yes, it will be very busy at the beginning of next year.”
Hamilton acknowledged he would have “loved to continue with Bono” but emphasized his happiness at seeing his closest ally receive a promotion.
“Of course, I would have loved to continue with Bono. We have an excellent relationship. You heard at Silverstone, he’s like a brother. But I am really, really, really happy for him.”
“For me, it’s just about people doing what’s best, you have to do what’s best for you. Packing up and leaving, I can only imagine it’s not easy, it affects him and his partner, so they must do what’s right for him.”
“I knew it would be an unlikely scenario for him to come with me because it’s a significant change in his life. But I am really pleased that the team has recognized and made changes to his career path within the team so that he can continue to grow.”
“I think he’ll now be able to demonstrate even more of the great things he’s done. But one way or another, we will always be family. We’ve talked about it. We just want to make sure we finish on a high note.”
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Hamilton: “Wished to continue with Bono, but respects move.” Hamilton: “Wished to continue with Bono, but respects move.”
