F1: after Hamilton, Carlos Sainz also compares Ferrari and Mercedes engines

The 2025 winter mercato upset the balance in Formula 1. Whereas Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes after twelve years to join Ferrari, Carlos Sainz took the opposite path, at least as far as the engine is concerned, moving from the Scuderia to the Mercedes-powered Williams team. A crossroads that now allows the two drivers to share their views: the comparison between the two most emblematic power units in the paddock.

And then Lewis Hamilton's first impressions of the Ferrari engineNow it's Carlos Sainz's turn to give his thoughts on the Mercedes block.

"It's amazing how two engines can be so different".

Before the Bahrain Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz didn't mince his words: "It's a big change. It's incredible how two power units can be so different, yet so close in performance". Sainz, who has spent time with Renault, Ferrari and now Mercedes in his F1 career, underlines the extent to which the switch from one engine to another requires a profound readaptation of driving skills.

In particular, Sainz insisted that the balance of a car, the way it brakes, accelerates, and even the distribution of power are specific to each engine manufacturer. "The Ferrari had a very particular balance. You had to brake at a precise moment, and your body develops a muscle memory for that." In other words, changing engine also means learning to drive again.

These comments echo those made by Hamilton in February, when he discovered the SF-25's Italian V6 turbo hybrid for the first time. "The engine is different, both in sound and feel," confided the Briton at the time. "It's nice to see that Ferrari also has a very good engine, but you have to change your habits."

Two drivers in discomfort, but for how long?

The parallel trajectories of Sainz and Hamilton reveal a shared observation: However talented they may be, F1 drivers are not machines. The process of adapting to a new engine, team or chassis can slow down their performance, even at the highest level.

Hamilton, for example, is still struggling to compete with Charles Leclerc on a dry lap, with an average deficit of two to three tenths. He admitted after Suzuka that the car had had an "underlying" problem for several races, and hoped to see a rapid improvement.

Sainz, meanwhile, faces a similar challenge at Williams, where he has yet to get the full measure of his car's behavior against the much more comfortable Alex Albon. But Mercedes engineers know that, with the Spanish driver's experience and precise feedback, the learning phase could soon give way to a ramp-up.

Valuable feedback for engine manufacturers

At Ferrari, Enrico Gualtieri, head of the engine department, considers Hamilton's comments "invaluable" in optimizing a block whose development is frozen by current regulations. Even if mechanical evolutions are limited, getting the most out of the engine requires fine-tuning the electronic parameters and adapting to the driver's style.

On the Mercedes side, Sainz's transition also offers unique feedback on how the engine compares to the one at Maranello. An invaluable piece of data, especially in this pivotal season ahead of the regulatory change scheduled for 2026.