A commotion between the Ferrari and Mercedes personnel has begun ever since Lewis Hamilton announced the move to Maranello. Many believed the 7-time champion would take his trusted confidante, Peter Bonnington with him. However, a contractual technicality has forced Hamilton’s race engineer to stay with the Silver Arrows. The 39-year-old does not need to sweat it, though, as he is in good hands given the vast experience his soon-to-be race engineer possesses.
Quoting Funo Analisi Tecnica, Deni on X (formerly Twitter) claimed an anti-poaching clause has blocked Bonnington’s move to Ferrari. However, Lewis Hamilton, in consultation with team principal Frederic Vasseur, has chosen Riccardo Adami to take over his race engineer’s duties. Adami is currently Carlos Sainz’s race engineer. The Italian engineer holds prior experience of working with a world champion through Sebastian Vettel.
Adami has been working with Ferrari since 2015. The 50-year-old started his career in F1 13 years before the move, though. Adami started his F1 career with Minardi in 2002 after obtaining a diploma in the chassis area in 2001. He worked in several departments with the Italian outfit before being promoted to the position of race engineer in 2005.
Adami stayed with the team after the takeover by Red Bull. As the Toro Rosso race engineer, he worked with Sebastian Vettel, Sebastien Buemi, and Daniel Ricciardo. He worked with Vettel again after the duo reunited at Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton and Bono’s split marks the end of an era
Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington shortly worked with Michael Schumacher as his performance engineer. In 2011, Bono became Schumacher’s race engineer, replacing Mark Slade. As the German left Mercedes at the end of 2012, Bonnington continued in the role, working with Lewis Hamilton.
After a disappointing first season in 2013, Mercedes aced the hybrid engine regulations starting in 2014. The advent of the new regulations marked the start of an unprecedented dominance. Lewis Hamilton won 6 world championships while the Brackley outfit bagged 8 to its name. Bonnington, who was Hamilton’s trusted confidante all this while, played a crucial role in his success.
Facing the heat in the cockpit, Hamilton may have snapped at Bono on a few occasions, but the 49-year-old is known for keeping a calm demeanor. The camaraderie between the duo gave birth to the iconic radio message, “It’s hammer time!”
The phrase is a play on Lewis Hamilton’s last name and also a reference to the lyrics to the song ‘U Can’t Touch This’, that Bono uses when he wants his driver to push to the limit.
Hamilton’s fierce response on the track following the three words have given birth to the most iconic moments in the sport’s modern history. Will Adami repeat those words to make Hamilton feel at home? Will it have the same impact on the Briton?
