Carlos Sainz has revealed that he was ‘not surprised’ by Lewis Hamilton’s difficult start to life as a Ferrari driver. The Brit has failed to finish higher than fifth in a Grand Prix so far in 2025, although he did enjoy a breakthrough sprint race victory in Shanghai. Hamilton hoped that his move from Mercedes to Ferrari would provide some relief for his qualifying misery in 2024. The Brit was dominated by team-mate George Russell on Saturdays, although his race pace was never questioned, and helped him to victories in Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

Unfortunately, the seven-time world champion’s performances have continued to trend in the wrong direction. In Saudi Arabia, he was at a loss to explain his struggles behind the wheel of the unpredictable SF-25 after finishing seventh, with team-mate Charles Leclerc picking up the team’s first podium of the campaign in third.

However, Sainz isn’t surprised by the struggles of the man who replaced him at Ferrari. “I’m not surprised at all,” he said ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. “I expected it for myself (at Williams), and I expected it with him.

“Because when you are up against two team-mates like we are, Alex [Albon] and Charles, they know the team inside out, and they are already performing at the maximum that that car can perform.

“So, you can only do just a little bit better or the same as them. You cannot suddenly arrive and be two, three tenths quicker, because 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, you know it’s going to take time. They know a lot more than you. It’s going to take a bit of time, and the sooner you make that process and the sooner you are at that level, the better.”

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