Lewis Hamilton is about to contest his 10th race as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver at the Canadian Grand Prix. He’s still searching for his first Sunday podium.
It only took Carlos Sainz five races to achieve that milestone when he joined the Scuderia in 2021. He would achieve four podiums over the course of the year and finish fifth in the championship.
Ferrari were spectators in the F1 title fight between Mercedes and Red Bull that year. Similarly, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc already appear to be out of contention as Max Verstappen tries to keep up with the two McLarens.
At his best, Hamilton was able to succeed in spite of the car. But now his fortunes seem increasingly tied to team performance.
In the rare moments where Ferrari have been truly fast this season, he has shown promise. He won the Sprint in China and charged from 12th to fourth at Imola.
But for the most part, both driver and team have under-delivered.
Lewis Hamilton may not stay at Ferrari long enough to unlock best form
Sainz was once again asked about Hamilton’s struggles in an interview with The Telegraph. He was bound to face plenty of questions about his replacement this year, no matter how the move panned out.
The Spaniard himself made a slow start at Williams, notching just one point and one Q3 appearance in his first three weekends. He’s been rather left behind by teammate Alex Albon in the standings (42 points to 12), but three top-six qualifying performances show he’s now far more comfortable in the car.
Still, Sainz thinks that a driver needs four or five years at a team to truly show their best form. Aged 40 and only on an initial two-year contract, that’s a luxury Hamilton is unlikely to have.
The Briton previously spent six seasons at McLaren, and 12 at Mercedes.
- READ MORE: 2025 F1 driver contract lengths and wages including Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari salary
“You look at Charles Leclerc, or George Russell, or a Max Verstappen, or a Lando Norris… even you can see the progress of Oscar Piastri over three seasons,” Sainz said. “I strongly believe to execute your best level in Formula 1, you need to be in a team for four or five years.
“You need people to understand the way you work, you need that bond with every engineer, you need the team to back you and give you that long-term stability.
“In the end, it’s exactly the same for me and Lewis. It’s not like you’re going to arrive at a team and just blow away a guy that is extremely fast, who knows the team so well.
“That doesn’t happen in modern Formula 1. Alex and Charles have very similar amounts of experience in F1, and they are both performing at a high level.”
Carlos Sainz has previously compared Lewis Hamilton to Daniel Ricciardo
Earlier this month, Sainz likened Hamilton to Daniel Ricciardo, who faced a greater ‘adaptation process’ than he expected when he joined McLaren in 2021. Ironically, Ricciardo was the Spaniard’s replacement.
That blockbuster transfer had a rather disastrous conclusion as McLaren ripped up the contract at the end of the second year. A driver of Hamilton’s stature will be determined to go out on his own terms.
Sainz, 30, is invested in a long-term project at Williams. The team have made impressive progress this season and currently sit fifth in the constructors’.
While David Croft believes Red Bull should have signed Sainz, he’s confident he can win at Grove. The team are prioritising the 2026 regulation changes, a chance to jump further up the order.
