Lewis Hamilton has a new race engineer in 2025 (Image: Getty)
has admitted that his iconic ‘hammer time’ catchphrase is being put into retirement as he starts his career with and a new relationship with race engineer Riccardo Adami. During his 12-year stay with , the ‘hammer time’ catchphrase became an iconic cornerstone of Hamilton’s relationship with race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington.
Put simply, it was the Brit’s cue to get his head down during a race and extract maximum lap time from the car. When Hamilton’s blockbuster move to was announced last February, many speculated that Bonnington could be one of the employees to join the 40-year-old in Maranello. This didn’t materialise, though, and the Brit instead opted to utilise Adami, who previously race-engineered for Sebastian Vettel and .
With has come the end of the ‘hammer time’ catchphrase, too. “I haven’t spoken to my engineer about that,” he admitted with a laugh on Friday.
“I don’t know how it would sound with an Italian accent, so I’ll have to find an Italian word, probably. We’ll probably find something new.”
This means that Hamilton’s final career ‘hammer time’ came during his last-ever race for in Abu Dhabi. The Brit produced a mighty final stint to pass team-mate on the final lap and clinch a P4 finish.
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Peter Bonnington and Lewis Hamilton had an iconic partnership (Image: Getty)
“When he told me, I was like, I can’t remember the last time he told me ‘hammer time,’” he said after the season finale. “I remember I told Bono to say ‘hammer time’ back in the first year together, I was like ‘Don’t tell me just go faster, just say tell me it’s ‘hammer time’ and I’ll know what it is.’
“And what a roller coaster ride I’ve had with Bono, he’s been one of my closest friends for many years.
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“It’s something I didn’t expect to have, he’s worked with , he’s worked with great drivers, but the longest he’s stood by me, an engineer to stick with someone, a frustrating and painful as it can sometimes be, he’s stood by me every single day without fail.”
While Hamilton develops his new relationship with Adami, Bonnington is working with the Brit’s successor, Kimi Antonelli. The Italian teenager has the unenviable task of filling the boots of the most successful driver, statistically speaking, in F1 history.