Martin Brundle has backed Ferrari's decision to change Lewis Hamilton's race engineer, saying "something needed to change."
Following several disagreements between driver and engineer in 2025, Hamilton's first season in red, Ferrari announced last week that Riccardo Adami was being moved to another part of the company.
A replacement has not yet been confirmed, but Hamilton is set for his first laps in the 2026 Formula 1 car next week for the private preseason test in Barcelona.
"I'm surprised it probably didn't happen a bit earlier, really, judging by all the things that were going on last year," Brundle, a former F1 driver-turned-pundit for Sky Sports F1, said on Wednesday.
"Lewis needs to go there with a team so that at least they understand 'Lewis speak' when he's inside the car, what it all means, and to interpret what Lewis really needs behind the wheel.
"Just listening to the radio and watching the performance, although they obviously put a varnish on it through last season, something needed to change."
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Ferrari will launch its 2026 car on Friday, ahead of the first behind-closed-doors test. There will then be two three-day tests in Bahrain before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Hamilton finished sixth in the championship in his first season for Ferrari, the first in his illustrious career without a single podium.