Lewis Hamilton secured his first victory in Ferrari colours at the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, ending a difficult debut season with the Scuderia. The seven‑time champion highlighted the role of his new race engineer, Carlo Santi, calling him his “Italian Bono” and crediting the partnership for the dramatic performance lift.
Santi, 52, hails from Verona and has spent more than a decade within Ferrari. He worked closely with Kimi Raikkonen in 2016‑17 and served as the Finn’s race engineer for the 2018 United States Grand Prix win. After that, he moved into a leadership role supporting drivers from the remote garage at Maranello. A mechanical‑engineering graduate from Milan Polytechnic, Santi’s career spans vehicle dynamics, simulation, and performance engineering before he settled into race‑day duties.
Hamilton swapped from Riccardo Adami to Santi at the start of the 2026 season, a change that was initially described as temporary. The duo has already delivered a win and two runner‑up finishes in the last three races, prompting Hamilton to liken Santi’s calm, experienced approach to Peter Bonnington’s tenure at Mercedes. With team principal Fred Vasseur backing the setup, the partnership appears set to continue as Hamilton chases the championship.
