Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how difficult it is for a driver to adapt to a new team. F1 driver Carlos Sainz touched on this topic in a recent interview, having himself just changed teams following Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari. The Spaniard had to move from the Reds to Williams, where he first had to learn the English working method, in contrast to the Italian one, as well as get to grips with a new car powered by Mercedes.
The transition was even more complicated for Lewis, who had spent his entire career in England and had to reinvent himself at the age of 40. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion needed an initial adjustment period to get a feel for the power delivery of Maranello’s Power Unit. A cultural barrier also increased the difficulty, and Lewis Hamilton immediately began working on learning Italian to better communicate with the team members.
Carlos Sainz and adapting to engine braking
In an interview, Carlos Sainz addressed the issue Lewis Hamilton raised about adapting to a new F1 team. The Briton had said he was struggling with engine braking, and the Spaniard’s reply came quickly: “To me, that’s just one of the 15 to 20 things you have to learn again.”
“Some teams prefer to use engine braking to help the car rotate. Others rely more on the differential, and others still prefer the use of brake migration.” Carlos Sainz explained how adapting to the philosophy of different cars is complex, and that various approaches can lead to similar lap times: “You can’t imagine how many variables contribute to a car achieving similar performance in such different ways.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out
“I’m trying different maps, mechanical balance setups. I try anything I can every week to understand what works best for the car and what doesn’t. Some aspects reflect your driving style, others don’t, and I enjoy the process of getting things wrong multiple times. When you finally get a result that works, it’s a ‘Eureka’ moment that feels great.” – the Spaniard concluded.
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