How Lewis Hamilton Found His “Italian Bono” in Carlo Santi to Save His Ferrari Career

The 2025 Formula 1 season was an absolute disaster for Lewis Hamilton, and the radio transmissions told the entire story. When the seven-time world champion made his blockbuster move to Scuderia Ferrari, leaving behind a 13-year championship dynasty and his legendary race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington, the paddock expected a transition period. What we actually got was a year of tense, awkward, and deeply frustrating radio exchanges with his new engineer, Riccardo Adami. But as the 2026 European leg ramps up, Hamilton has completely reshaped his side of the Maranello garage, and the results are finally showing.

>The secret to Hamilton’s recent mid-season renaissance isn’t just a sudden setup breakthrough; it is the man now sitting on the pit wall. Following a brutal maiden campaign where he failed to score a single podium, Ferrari made a massive backroom shake-up over the winter, swapping Adami out for 52-year-old Ferrari veteran Carlo Santi.

>While the move was originally billed as a temporary fix, the immediate chemistry between the two has been undeniable. In fact, the dynamic has been so strong that Hamilton recently handed Santi the ultimate compliment, dubbing him the “Italian Bono” ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Pit Wall “OG” Calming the Ferrari ChaosAnyone who follows Hamilton knows he doesn’t throw the “Bono” comparison around lightly. Bonnington is widely regarded as one of the greatest race engineers in motorsport history, functioning as Hamilton’s psychological anchor through his most dominant years. But Santi, who famously engineered Kimi Raikkonen’s final Ferrari season in 2018 before moving to a remote operations role, brings the exact same unflappable energy.

>“I feel that Carlo is very similar to Bono,” Hamilton recently explained to the media. “For me, he is kind of an OG. One of those veterans who has seen a lot, has huge experience and is always extremely calm”.

Oct 21, 2018; Austin, TX, USA; (From left) Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Ferrari engineer Carlo Santi and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain wave to the crowd after the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsThat specific calm is exactly what was missing last year. When things inevitably go sideways at 300 kilometres per hour, Hamilton relies heavily on an engineer who can break down telemetry corner-by-corner without letting the adrenaline bleed into the microphone. With Adami, the trust never quite materialized. With Santi, the connection was immediate.

>The numbers absolutely back up the praise. Hamilton has already secured two podiums in the first five races of 2026, including a vintage late-race charge in Montreal where he hunted down Max Verstappen for a massive second-place finish.

>He is now sitting just three points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in the championship standings. By bringing in a veteran who speaks his specific engineering language, Hamilton proved that while you can take a driver out of his comfort zone, a true champion will always rebuild the exact environment he needs to win.