Sainz: Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Are Completely Expected

Carlos Sainz reflects on Lewis Hamilton’s tough start at Ferrari, explaining why he anticipated these challenges based on his own F1 experiences.

Carlos Sainz recently shared that he wasn’t surprised by the difficulties Lewis Hamilton is facing at Ferrari. Sainz himself is currently adjusting to a new environment in F1, so he can relate to Hamilton’s struggles.

Hamilton replaced Sainz at Ferrari for the 2025 season. Despite a win in the Sprint race in China, Hamilton has found it challenging to get comfortable with the Ferrari SF-25. He has warned that 2025 could be a “painful” season as he continues to adapt to his new car.

Sainz, who also had his own challenges when joining Williams, seemed to make progress during his last outing in Saudi Arabia, where he led qualifying and the race for the first time within his team.

Having previously stated it could take “five to ten races” to fully adjust to Williams, Sainz spoke in Miami about the difficulty of joining a team where the other drivers are already completely integrated into the team culture.

“No, I’m not surprised at all,” the Spaniard said when asked about Hamilton’s struggles.

“I expected it, both myself and with him. In this sport, there are no secrets. You’re up against two teammates like Alex [Albon] and Charles [Leclerc], who know the team inside and out. They’re already operating at their maximum capacity.”

“You can’t suddenly come in and be two or three tenths faster because that’s just not possible.”

“They’re already pushing the car to its limit. So when you join a new team and expect to get to that level right away, it takes time.”

“There’s no secret. They know better than you that it’s going to take time. The sooner you start working on it, the sooner you get to that level, the better.”

However, for some drivers, this process may take more or less time. Hamilton had a great weekend in China, but he seems to be struggling a bit more now. One key difference he’s highlighted is the braking phase and the use of engine braking between the Mercedes and Ferrari.

When asked about this, Sainz, who is driving a Mercedes engine for the first time in his career, explained, “For me, that’s just one of the 15 things to learn.”

“Some teams prefer to use engine braking to rotate the car, others focus on the differential, some on brake balance, others on the car’s natural setup—front aerodynamics, some on mechanics, others on pitch, and others on suspension.”

“You can’t even imagine the variety of ways you can adjust the car to achieve similar lap times, but using completely different methods.”

“It’s definitely one of the 15 to 20 things I’m still trying to understand.”

“Of course, I’m trying high engine braking at Williams to see if it works. I try low engine braking, differential mappings, mechanics. I try everything every week just to see what the car likes and what it doesn’t.”

Sainz is no stranger to team changes. Williams is his fifth team in 11 seasons. The Spaniard admitted that adapting to these changes is a challenge he enjoys.

“There are things that suit your driving style, and others that don’t. I think it’s that battle and process that I enjoy. You make mistakes often, but as long as you enjoy it and accept it, you know you’ll make mistakes, but when it clicks and you think, ‘Ah, this works,’ it’s a eureka moment that feels great.”

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Sainz: Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Are Completely Expected Sainz: Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Are Completely Expected