Carlos Sainz addresses Lewis Hamilton Ferrari struggles: 'I’m not surprised'

Carlos Sainz has detailed he is not surprised Lewis Hamilton has struggled to adapt to life at Ferrari following his switch from Mercedes.

Hamilton brought an end to his 12-year stint at Mercedes at the end of last year in favour of a move to the Italian squad alongside team veteran Charles Leclerc.

The seven-time champion took the place of Carlos Sainz, who opted to pen a multi-year deal with Williams and partner Alex Albon.

However, with the exception of a strong performance during the China sprint race, Hamilton has struggled for pace alongside his new team-mate, while Sainz is also losing the head-to-head fight against Albon across the opening five rounds.

Sainz outlined it is a tall ask for the pair to be up to speed so early on in the season as they adjust to new surroundings and are measured against drivers who have been part of their respective teams for several years.

“No, I'm not surprised at all,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365 when asked about Hamilton’s struggles. “I expected it for myself, and I expected it with him.

“In this sport, there are no secrets and when you are up against two team-mates like we are, like Alex and Charles who know the team inside out, they're already performing at the maximum the car can perform.

“So you can only do just a little bit better or the same as them. You can’t suddenly arrive and be two or three-tenths quicker, 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, it’s going to take time.”

Sainz outlined there is no specific time frame for a driver to get up to pace in a new environment but pointed to Hamilton’s sprint race success in China as a sign the potential to fight at the front exists.

“There’s no secret, they know a lot more than you and then it's going to take a bit of time,” he said.

“The sooner you make that process and the sooner you are at that level, the better.

“But for some drivers, it might take longer or shorter.

“He had an amazing weekend in China. He seems to have a bit more trouble now, but it’s going take time.”