Sainz ‘not surprised by Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari

Carlos Sainz says he isn’t the least bit surprised that Lewis Hamilton has found it difficult to hit the ground running at Ferrari, insisting that even a seven-time world champion can’t shortcut the long learning curve that comes with changing Formula 1 teams.

The Spaniard, now racing for Williams after being replaced at the Scuderia by Hamilton for the 2025 season, has had his own slow start adapting to new machinery – so he understands what his successor is going through all too well.

Hamilton has been largely outpaced by teammate Charles Leclerc in the early rounds of this year’s campaign, with only one notable exception – the Shanghai Sprint – where he managed to beat the Monegasque, and all his rivals.

The Reality of Switching Teams

Sainz, meanwhile, faced his own hurdles at Williams, only beating teammate Alex Albon for the first time in Saudi Arabia last time out.

"I'm not surprised at all," said Sainz ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. "I expected it for myself and I expected it with him."

"Because when you are up against two team-mates like we are, Alex and Charles, they know the team inside out, and they are already performing at the maximum that that car can perform.

“So, you can only do just a little bit better or the same as them. You cannot suddenly arrive and be two, three tenths quicker, because it's not possible. They are already at the limit of the car."

Sainz added that while outsiders may expect immediate results from top drivers, the reality is far more complex.

“When you jump to a new team and you're expected by yourself and by everyone around you to be at that level, you know it's going to take time,” he added.

“They know a lot more than you. It's going to take a bit of time, and the sooner you make that process and the sooner you are at that level, the better.”

“It’s a Eureka Moment When It Clicks”

The learning curve isn’t just about raw pace – it’s about unlearning and relearning countless small details that affect performance and comfort. Sainz said the process of adapting to a new car is far deeper than most imagine.

“You cannot imagine the amount of variation, variability just to make the car get to a similar lap time in just completely different ways,” he explained.

"I'm trying high engine braking in Williams to see if it works, I'm trying low, I'm trying differential maps, but I'm trying everything every weekend just to see what the car likes and what it doesn't."

“There are things that suit your style, others that don't, and I think it's that fight and that process that I enjoy and that you're going to get wrong many times.

“But as long as you enjoy it and you just embrace it, you know you're gonna get it wrong a few times but you're also gonna, when you click and you get the thought, ‘this works,’ it's actually a eureka moment that feels good.”

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That eureka moment, however, isn’t guaranteed to come quickly – not even for someone of Hamilton’s pedigree.

“I've always said that to know a car well, you need at least half a year to a year to experience everything with that car,” Sainz concluded.

“That doesn't mean that you cannot perform during that year. You can perform at 100% or 99%, and your 99% might still be pretty good.

“But the 100% for sure, there are things that you need half a year, I would say, to experience.”

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