Carlos Sainz shares insight on Lewis Hamilton’s tough Ferrari start, highlighting how adaptation time is crucial—even for champions.
Carlos Sainz appears to be done with his adaptation period at Williams F1.
It only took a third of a season for the Spaniard to settle in, whereas others are still struggling — like Lewis Hamilton.
Before heading to Canada, Sainz reflected on the matter after his impressive showing this weekend at the future Madrid circuit.
“I understand what’s happening to Lewis, because I know how complicated it is. Pride? No. You understand why it’s so hard, because I’ve had to switch teams five times, and it’s something people hardly ever talked about before — the adaptation process.”
“Back then, everyone expected you to be up to speed by the third race. I remember with Ricciardo, when he moved to Renault, and also to McLaren, there was an adaptation process. And I went through it too with every team I joined. Before, it was as if people didn’t believe that argument or saw it as an excuse, and now that a seven-time world champion is struggling too, it partly confirms what I was saying five or ten years ago: maybe you didn’t believe it then, but now, you do.”
Indeed, in 2022, adapting to the new regulations with Ferrari was tough for Sainz…
“Exactly, but what matters is adapting in the end. I think that’s the key. You might have five or six tough months of adaptation, but the important thing is to get there, because if you do, with your level and talent, you end up proving your worth.”
“I reached mid-2022 with pole positions at Silverstone, Spa, and Austin. I won a race, and in 2023, I finally hit the level I wanted. The key is getting there. The risk is never fully adapting to the team or the car, and so far, I’m lucky to say I’ve always managed to adapt to every team.”
Each driver has their own style and must adapt to the car they’re given…
“Yes, first of all, you need a bit of luck. When switching teams, some driving styles suit a certain type of car, and others don’t. I’ve always been a bit more comfortable with a stable car, because my natural driving style allows me to rotate the car more through the corners, which creates a lot of oversteer using the brakes and steering.”
“If you give me a stable or overly stable car, I’ll make it rotate just right, and if you give me a car with a very strong front end, I’ll probably rotate it too much. So in an ideal world, I’d lean more towards stability, but I’ve never driven a car as sharp at the front as the 2022 Ferrari, and I ended up driving it well, taking pole positions and finishing the year strongly.”
“So for me, it’s a point of pride and satisfaction to know that whatever I’m given, I’ll make it work. If I’m given something that comes naturally to me, perfect — I’m fast straight away. And if I’m given the opposite, I’ve managed to adapt as well, and even if it wasn’t my best version, I think it was a pretty solid one.”
“For example, I got into the McLaren and, from the first race, I said: ‘I love this car.’ And that’s probably when I showed the best version of myself in F1. I also really liked the 2021 Ferrari.”