Sainz evaluates Hamilton F1 title chances at Ferrari

Carlos Sainz has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning an F1 title with Ferrari this year.

Hamilton has joined the Italian squad for the upcoming campaign after ending his long-standing association with Mercedes at the conclusion of 2024.

His arrival at Ferrari came at the expense of Sainz, who has found refuge at the Williams squad on a multi-year deal.

Sainz admitted it is difficult to truly judge Hamilton's current abilities as he has never been partnered with him in the same team.

“I've never been teammates with Lewis, so I don't know what he's capable of doing. I've never seen his data,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365.

“I've seen Charles [Leclerc], and I know how good Charles is, but I've never been teammates with Lewis.

“The only way you can more or less evaluate a driver purely is when you're their teammate and you see what they're capable of doing.”

Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors' title last year to McLaren and is being tipped as a leading contender for the upcoming campaign.

With Hamilton's track record placing him as the most successful driver in F1 history, Sainz has backed the 40-year-old to challenge for the title during his stint at Ferrari.

“When I judge by results and his background and what he's achieved, I can only say there's a very high chance that he's going to be competitive in Ferrari,” Sainz said.

“But like everything, it will all depend on how well you can adapt to a car, how well you can adapt to a team.

“There are so many variables that it’s impossible for me to predict.

“But I can only say when I left, when I left Ferrari, I did feel the team, both Ferrari and Charles, were ready to fight for a world championship.

“With Lewis joining, those chances can only increase.”