Carlos Sainz said he was not surprised by the difficulties encountered by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, as he also strives to adapt to a new formula in Formula 1.
Hamilton replaced Sainz within the Scuderia for 2025 and, apart from his victory in the sprint in China, he had difficulty piloting the Ferrari SF-25.
The Briton warned that 2025 could be a “painful” season when he struggles to familiarize himself with his new F1.
Sainz, who had also expressed acclimatization difficulties at Williams, seemed to have crossed a milestone during his last outing in Saudi Arabia, leading for the first time within his team, racing qualifications.
Having previously indicated that it would take “five to ten races” to be fully operational at Williams, Sainz told Miami today that joining a team whose pilot is fully integrated into the culture of the stable is an arduous task.
“No, I’m not surprised at all,” replied the Spaniard when asked about Hamilton’s difficulties.
“I think I expected it, I and with him. Because in this sport, there is no secret, and faced with two teammates as we have, Alex [Albon] and Charles [Leclerc]who know the team at their fingertips, they are already as much as possible. “
“So we can only do a little better or the same than them. You cannot suddenly happen and be two or three tenths faster, because it is impossible.”
“They are already at the limit of the car. So when you reach a new team and expect from yourself and those around you that you reach this level, it takes time.”
-“There is no secret. They know much better than you that it will take time, and the sooner you get it and the earlier you reach this level, the better.”
But for some pilots, it could take more or less time. Hamilton had an exceptional weekend in China. It seems to have a little more difficulty now, one of the main differences noted by Hamilton was the braking phase and the use of the engine brake between the Mercedes and the Ferrari.
When we asked this question to Sainz, who drives a Mercedes engine for the first time in his career, he said: “For me, it is only 15 things to learn.”
“Some teams like to use the engine brake to run the car, others favor the differential, others the distribution of the brakes, others still favor the natural settings of the car: the front with aerodynamics, others with mechanics, others with pitch, others with the suspension.”
“It’s just that we cannot imagine the variability that it is possible to do so that the car is reaching a similar time in completely different ways.”
“This is undoubtedly one of the 15 to 20 things that I still try to understand.”
“Of course, I try a high engine brake at Williams to see if it works, I try a low engine brake, I try differential maps, I try the mechanics, but I try all week just to see what the car likes and what it doesn’t like.”
Sainz is a regular about team changes, Williams being his fifth team in 11 seasons. The Spaniard has revealed that adapting to all changes is a challenge he appreciates.
“There are things that are suitable for your style, others not. I think it is this fight and this process that I appreciate. We are often mistaken, but as long as we take pleasure in it and we accept it, we know that we are sometimes mistaken, but also, when we have the click and we say to ourselves:” Ah, it works “, it is a Eurêka moment that is good.”
