‘He’s been fantastic': Hamilton opens up on key Ferrari change

There was a different energy around Lewis Hamilton at the Canadian Grand Prix – calmer, brighter, and perhaps most importantly, optimistic.

After months of tense radio chatter and visible frustration during his first season in red, the seven-time world champion finally sounds like a driver settling into his surroundings at Ferrari.

And at the centre of that transformation is a new voice on the radio.

Carlo Santi, the engineer who took over communication duties from Riccardo Adami over the winter, has quickly become a key figure in Hamilton’s improving form. What initially looked like another awkward transition for the Briton is now developing into one of the most encouraging stories inside the Ferrari garage.

Hamilton’s run to P2 in Montreal was not just his strongest result of the campaign – it also offered the clearest sign yet that the pieces are beginning to click into place.

“I chose a different set-up this weekend through just ciphering through the data, working really well with my engineer,” Hamilton said. “He’s absolutely awesome and I’m really loving working with him.

“And my number two did a fantastic job this weekend and helped me really pull more performance out of the car, getting into a much sweeter place.

“And I was able to attack all the corners finally. And as I said, there’s a lot of changes that I’ve had to ask for, and Fred [Vasseur]’s been super supportive and again also moving mountains in order to make me comfortable.

“And it’s finally starting to show in my performance. So, thank you to the team.”

From radio frustration to fresh momentum

The contrast with last season could hardly be sharper. Hamilton’s first year at Ferrari was often overshadowed by awkward and occasionally fiery exchanges with then-race engineer Riccardo Adami.

Their communication struggles became a recurring subplot throughout the season, with tense radio messages aired repeatedly during the challenging campaign.

Ferrari responded during the off-season by moving Adami into a role with the team’s academy programme, while Santi stepped into the race engineer position on what was initially described as an interim basis, with former McLaren man Cédric Michel-Grosjean earmarked for the role.

But while the Frenchman has been integrated into the team, he hasn’t taken the reins. Instead, Santi remains the man on “radio check”, and all signs point to this continuing to be the case for the foreseeable future.

The partnership with Santi appears to have unlocked a fresh level of confidence for Hamilton.

The smoother communication has allowed him to focus more on extracting performance from the car – something he felt was finally possible in Canada.

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“My engineer has been absolutely fantastic, and I really enjoy working with him,” Hamilton said in Montreal.

“My secondary engineer also did an incredible job this weekend and helped me unlock even more performance from the car, getting it into a much more optimal operating window.

“For the first time, I was finally able to attack all the corners properly and, as I said, there were many changes that I had requested.

“Frederic Vasseur has supported me massively and, once again, has done everything possible to make me feel comfortable. He moved mountains for me, and that is finally starting to show in my performances.”

Vasseur backing hamilton all the way

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has indeed remained publicly supportive throughout the ups and downs of Hamilton’s Ferrari adventure, and after Montreal he was quick to highlight the scale of the turnaround.

“It was a very strong performance,” he said. “Conditions [were] mega difficult. If you were losing power, you were struggling to recover and to come back, and he was able to push from the beginning to the end.

“He was in confidence and did a very strong, strong race and strong weekend overall.

“We know what we are doing, we know that we have a clear target, a clear goal. We are pushing together as a team. Then you can write whatever you want.”

For Ferrari, those comments carried the tone of a team beginning to believe its bold Hamilton gamble is finally gathering momentum. And for Hamilton himself, the static that once defined his Ferrari radio may at last be giving way to something far more valuable – clarity.

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