Lewis Hamilton has split from long-time manager Marc Hynes weeks before the start of the 2026 F1 season. The split was described as mutual. The pair first worked together in 2015, paused the relationship in 2021 when Hynes left his role as chief executive of Hamilton’s Project 44, and reunited ahead of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025. Hynes is reportedly set to join the nascent Cadillac F1 team and continues to manage Zhou Guanyu, Cadillac’s 2026 reserve driver; reports say he is expected to work with Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon on Zhou’s management. Hamilton has privately hinted at adjustments to his personal and team setup over the winter but has not publicly commented on Hynes’s departure.

The change comes amid a reshuffle at Ferrari. The team moved Riccardo Adami to head Ferrari’s Academy and TPC programmes, Bryan Bozzi filled in at a recent closed‑door pre‑season test in Barcelona, and Cedric Michel‑Grosjean is expected to step up in the race operation. These staff moves, together with Hamilton’s split, alter his immediate support network ahead of the new campaign.

Those personnel shifts sit alongside wider technical and competitive change across F1. Last season Lando Norris won his maiden world championship by two points over Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. Teams are preparing technical updates for 2026: Williams confirmed a mixed pushrod–pullrod suspension layout, and Adrian Newey has said Aston Martin fell roughly four months behind rivals during AMR26 development. Together these developments underline a period of transition as F1 enters the 2026 season.

Sources