01/05/2025 20:10
Carlos Sainz has detailed he is not surprised Lewis Hamilton has
struggled to adapt to life at Ferrari following his switch from
Mercedes. Hamilton brought an end to his 12-year stint at Mercedes
at the end of last year in favour of a move to the Italian squad
alongside team veteran Charles Leclerc. The seven-time champion
took the place of Carlos Sainz, who opted to pen a multi-year deal
with Williams and partner Alex Albon. However, with the exception
of a strong performance during the China sprint race, Hamilton has
struggled for pace alongside his new team-mate, while Sainz is also
losing the head-to-head fight against Albon across the opening five
rounds. Sainz outlined it is a tall ask for the pair to be up to
speed so early on in the season as they adjust to new surroundings
and are measured against drivers who have been part of their
respective teams for several years. "No, I'm not surprised at all,"
Sainz told media including RacingNews365 when asked about
Hamilton's struggles. "I expected it for myself, and I expected it
with him. "In this sport, there are no secrets and when you are up
against two team-mates like we are, like Alex and Charles who know
the team inside out, they're already performing at the maximum the
car can perform. "So you can only do just a little bit better or
the same as them. You can't suddenly arrive and be two or
three-tenths quicker, it's not possible. "They are already at the
limit of the car. When you jump to a new team and you're expected
by yourself and by everyone around you to be at that level, it's
going to take time." Sainz outlined there is no specific time frame
for a driver to get up to pace in a new environment but pointed to
Hamilton's sprint race success in China as a sign the potential to
fight at the front exists. "There's no secret, they know a lot more
than you and then it's going to take a bit of time," he said. "The
sooner you make that process and the sooner you are at that level,
the better. "But for some drivers, it might take longer or shorter.
"He had an amazing weekend in China. He seems to have a bit more
trouble now, but it's going take time."
