Lewis Hamilton creates concern as radio messages with new race engineer emerge

Lewis Hamilton's team radio during Australian Grand Prix practice have emerged - and they have concerned fans.

Hamilton's second season with Ferrari is now underway, with free practice 1 and free practice 2 completed in Melbourne on Friday.

The seven-time world champion had an encouraging day, placing second behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in FP1 before a fourth-placed finish in FP2.

And a practice start at the end of FP2 again showed that Ferrari appear to have an advantage over other teams when it comes to getting off the line well.

Hamilton's current race engineer is Carlo Santi, who worked with Kimi Raikkonen as performance and then race engineer at Ferrari.

The Scuderia reassigned Riccardo Adami, who fulfilled the role last season, to their junior academy, with Santi stepping up on an interim basis.

Ferrari are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Adami, something which Hamilton described as potentially being 'detrimental' to his season.

The 41-year-old therefore finds himself in something of an unusual situation in Formula 1, with race engineer appointmenrts normally confirmed by teams either during the winter break or as an immediate change mid-season.

There were signs of some teething problems during FP1, with Hamilton repeatedly asking for more specific feedback in one radio exchange.

After being told by Santi that he was losing two tenths in the first sector, power limited, Hamilton replied: "I understand that it is two tenths, but where is that power limit?"

"Power limit is between 2 and 3. Same second sector. Same third sector," Santi said.

"2 and 3 is not helping. Is it apex speed? Is it exit?" Hamilton asked.

When told once again that it was 'power limit', Hamilton said: "That does not help me, mate. Is it the exit or is it the apex? I don't care about power limit."

"Okay. Is apex too high or too low? Give me some feedback," he added, after Santi had said it was 'the apex'.

Communication improved as the session went on, though, appearing to allay any fears that fans might have had.

Santi later relayed to Hamilton that he losing time on apex speed in turn three on another lap.

The 52-year-old is an experienced figure within the Ferrari team, and is currently the head of remote engineering for the Scuderia alongside his interim role working with Hamilton.

Santi was race engineer to Raikkonen when the Finn won his final F1 race at the 2018 United States Grand Prix.

Ferrari will hope to have a much stronger season than in 2025, having finished in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship amid their failure to win a Grand Prix.

Hamilton says he is aiming to win his eighth world title in 2026, adding that the new dynamic between himself and the team is 'so much smoother' than last season.

Speaking in a pre-race press conference (via Sky Sports), he said: "We got great mileage done in winter testing - an amazing amount of work has been done from the team back at the factory, but also delivering on those tests.

"We've learned a lot from last year. We're leaving behind the bad and moving forwards with the good, and we're just sharp.

"We are prepared and we know what we need to do.

"I've come back with that positive mental frame of mind, so I feel great arriving here. Training has been fantastic, the engine, the work with the team has been amazing.

"Changes within my own personal space and in how I interact with the team, how the team is working is so much smoother than it was last year."