Carlos Sainz explains why adapting to a new F1 team is a challenge – even for Lewis Hamilton. Carlos Sainz defends Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz: two different stories
One of the most discussed topics ahead of the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix revolves around the difficulties Lewis Hamilton is experiencing during his debut season with Ferrari, the same team where Carlos Sainz completed his final campaign in red last year before moving to Williams. Contrary to expectations, the Spaniard is now achieving noteworthy results with the Grove-based team, which struggled to score points just a season ago.

Adjusting to a new team
Carlos Sainz, who vacated his Ferrari seat for Lewis Hamilton, highlighted in an interview with Mundo Deportivo the real challenges even a seven-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton can face when adapting to a new car. He stressed that such difficulties should never be dismissed as mere excuses. He pointed out that he personally understood how complex the process could be, having switched teams five times himself, often with little time allowed for adjustment. Carlos Sainz recalled that public expectations had been high—people assumed he would be fully adapted by the third race. He also referenced Daniel Ricciardo’s transitions to Renault and McLaren, noting that both involved periods of adaptation. He said he had experienced the same pattern at every team he had joined, and at the time many people didn’t believe it or saw it as an excuse. However, he believes Hamilton’s current struggles now confirm what he had been saying five or ten years ago—perhaps it wasn’t credible then, but now it is.

Sainz’s driving style
Reflecting on his time at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz returned to the 2022 season, when he had to adapt after a tough start caused by the new technical regulations, which clashed with his natural driving style. He emphasized that the most important thing is ultimately finding that adaptation. A driver may go through five or six tough months with a team, but what matters is reaching the right level. He felt that with enough talent and effort, a driver would eventually prove their worth. By mid-2022, Carlos Sainz had achieved pole positions at Silverstone, Austin, and Spa, and he went on to win races in 2023, reaching the level he had aimed for. He believes the key is to get there—because the real risk is never fully adapting to a team or a car. So far, he considers himself lucky to have managed to adapt to every team he’s joined.

Finally, Carlos Sainz also revealed which type of car best suits his driving style, naming the ones that felt most natural to him over the years. He explained that a bit of luck is needed when changing teams because certain driving styles match certain cars better than others. For him, a stable car works best because his natural style involves rotating the car more in corners, generating a lot of oversteer with braking and steering. If given a stable or overly stable car, he said he could still manage it; if given a car with a very aggressive front end, he might oversteer it too much. Ideally, he prefers stability, but even when faced with the aggressive front end of the 2022 Ferrari—a car he had never experienced before—he managed to handle it, scoring pole positions and ending the year strongly. That gave him pride and satisfaction, knowing that he could cope with any car he was given. If he receives a car that suits him, he’s immediately fast. If he gets the opposite, he can still adapt, and while it may not be his best version, he believes it is still a strong one. For example, he recalled driving the McLaren and saying after the first race, “I love this car.” That, he believes, was his best version in Formula 1. He also had fond memories of the 2021 Ferrari, which he greatly enjoyed driving.