F1 star reveals Daniel Ricciardo factor in team move problem

Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz has compared his early season struggles with his new team with Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton's respective issues.

Sainz joined Williams following the conclusion of the 2024 season, but has found it difficult to get to grips with his new car, only picking up 12 points so far in comparison to team-mate Alex Albon, who has 42.

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The Spaniard has, however, begun a recovery from a dismal start to the season, and is seemingly appearing more and more comfortable in the car as the season progresses.

Sainz only picked up one point in his first four race weekends of 2025, but then picked up 11 in the next four.

At his former team Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton - who displaced Sainz in a blockbuster transfer - is facing similar struggles, not yet picking up a main race podium, and sitting 23 points behind new team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Now, Sainz has pointed to Hamilton's struggles, and Daniel Ricciardo's difficulties at Renault when joining from Red Bull in 2019, as proof that it takes time to get used to different car setups and new teams.

"I remember with Ricciardo, when he changed to Renault, and also later to McLaren, there was an adaptation process, and I also had it in every team I changed," Sainz told Mundo Deportivo.

"Before, it was like people didn't buy it, or they saw it a bit as an excuse, and I think now that a seven-time world champion changes and also finds it difficult, more than anything it confirms a little what I was saying five or 10 years ago that maybe you didn't buy it, but now it is bought."

Where did Ricciardo's career go wrong?

Having spent five seasons with Red Bull, claiming seven grand prix victories, Ricciardo opted to make the switch to Renault for the 2019 season, having been vastly outperformed by team-mate Max Verstappen in 2018.

Ricciardo wanted to be the number one driver for an up-and-coming team, but Renault were not able to provide him with a car capable of challenging for regular podiums, and the Aussie soon switched to McLaren, before ending up back within the Red Bull family in 2023.

The so-called 'Honey Badger' was axed from F1 entirely midway through 2024, and is unlikely to make a return to the sport, and in a recent interview he pointed to the fact that his Renault move was probably a mistake in hindsight.

Both Sainz and Hamilton will be hoping that the gambles they have made on their new teams respectively will not turn out to be the beginning of the end of their careers, and the trajectory that Williams in particular are taking will give Sainz hope that he has made the right choice.

2026 is set to be a huge year for both Williams and Ferrari, with new regulations potentially set to see a major shakeup of the competitive order in F1.

READ MORE: Red Bull plans confirmed for Verstappen ban as Ricciardo verdict delivered

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