Carlos Sainz points to « a little-discussed aspect » that penalizes Lewis Hamilton

Carlos Sainz stated that “he derives no personal satisfaction from the difficulties Lewis Hamilton is facing” in his adaptation to Scuderia Ferrari.

A challenging first season in red

The seven-time world champion is experiencing a challenging first season with the Italian team since his transfer from Mercedes, a move that had pushed Carlos Sainz out.

So far in 2025, Lewis Hamilton has been clearly outperformed by his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has already secured three podium finishes, while the Briton has not achieved any in the first nine races.

When asked by Mundo Deportivo whether he felt a certain pride in the difficulties faced by his replacement, Carlos Sainz, who is now going through his own adaptation phase at Williams, responded: « I understand what he’s going through because I know how complicated it is. Pride? No. You understand why it’s so difficult, because I had to suffer myself through five team changes, and it’s something that was talked about very little before: the adaptation process. »

Before, you were expected to perform well by the third race. I remember Ricciardo, when he moved to Renault, then to McLaren: he needed some time to adapt. So did I, each time I switched teams. And back then, people didn’t really believe in it, or they considered it an excuse, he explains.

« Now, when a seven-time champion changes teams and struggles as well, it somewhat confirms what I was telling you five or ten years ago. Maybe you didn’t believe it back then… but now you do. »

Lewis Hamilton could face six challenging months

Carlos Sainz warned Lewis Hamilton. It could take him five to six months to fully adapt to his new team and car, based on his own experience when he joined Ferrari in 2021.

He then had to wait until mid-season 2022 to secure his first pole position and victory in Formula 1 at the British Grand Prix. “The important thing is to eventually adapt. That’s what matters,” explained the Spaniard.

You might have five or six months of complicated adaptation, but what matters is making it. Because if you make it, with the level and talent you have, you end up showing your true value.

« I reached this level in mid-2022, with poles at Silverstone, Spa, and Austin. I won a race, then in 2023 as well. So in the end, I reached the level I was aiming for. What matters is getting there. The risk is never really adapting to the team or the car, and for now, I’m lucky to be able to say that I’ve always managed to adapt to each team, he concludes.

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