Sainz shares challenge of adapting to different teams as he and Hamilton get to grips with life at Williams and Ferrari

Carlos Sainz has shared some first-hand insight into what Formula 1 drivers experience when they change teams, amid the media interest over his and Lewis Hamilton’s respective adaptations at Williams and Ferrari.

Hamilton took Sainz’s place at the Scuderia for the 2025 season in a blockbuster driver market move, with the Spaniard making the switch to Williams as a result – meaning they had all-new environments to get used to over the winter.

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Sainz and Hamilton have both experienced up-and-down campaigns so far, but while the former now appears to have made a breakthrough, the latter has cut a dejected figure at recent events as he bids to understand Ferrari’s package and get on terms with team mate Charles Leclerc.

During Thursday’s media activities ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Sainz gave his thoughts on the challenge of joining a new squad – something he did at Renault and McLaren – and what Hamilton is likely to be going through.

“It is extremely demanding and a lot more difficult than what people think,” said Sainz. “I think some people think that we use it as a bit of an excuse when we change teams, but absolutely everything changes.

“It makes our life extremely demanding back in the simulator and in the factory trying to learn every possible thing about the car, especially when you have an experienced team mate in the team.

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“In this case, [it’s] having Alex [Albon] that knows the car so well, and knows the team so well, so for me to jump in and try to be close to his level is demanding.

“The same will happen to Lewis with Charles, because he knows the team so well. It is very demanding, it is an approach that can take months and, as I said, sometimes it can take a third or half of a year to adapt.

“But I like it, and I have been through that process fortunately, or unfortunately, many times in my career, and if you approach it with the right mindset it always comes.”

Sainz was speaking off the back of his best performance of the season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he qualified a fine sixth and took the chequered flag in eighth position.

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“I’m making progress,” he commented. “There have been two races where I have been strong, especially Saudi, where we have put things together. I’m in that process of cracking the code and in Saudi was probably proof of it.

“I still feel that I’m going to need a few more races, and I think I’m going to need to go through some good and bad experiences still to discover some things from the car and the team. I’m confident we are on the right path.”