Formula 1 Q&A: McLaren and Verstappen in the title race plus Hamilton and Sainz

It seems to me that Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have now proven that they are equal to their teammates in their first season at their respective teams. Do you think we underestimate how difficult it is to switch teams? – Gareth

First of all, I’m not sure the question has a completely accurate premise. It is true that both Hamilton and Sainz were somewhat consistent in the first half of the season, in different ways, and that they are now in a much better position.

Sainz and Alex Albon now appear to be very equal. However, it is not clear that, in Hamilton’s case, he is still the “equal” to Leclerc – or not fixed in any case.

Hamilton did not beat Leclerc by much at all this year, whether in qualifying or the race.

It is much closer now than it was. He regularly qualifies within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying he has been 4-2 to Leclerc since the summer break.

Last weekend in Austin, on one of Hamilton’s favorite circuits, he was second behind Leclerc when the Monaco driver pitted, losing 13 seconds over the rest of the race.

In hindsight, Leclerc was following the best strategy. Regardless, over the course of the season, and so far, it’s hard to say that Leclerc hasn’t been Ferrari’s better driver this year.

Both Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to switch teams, and we should take their words seriously.

Hamilton has not yet said that he has fully adapted to Ferrari, and hopes that the new rules will suit him next year; He never enjoyed these Venturi cars.

There’s a lot for a driver to think about when he switches teams, as Hamilton has demonstrated several times this year. But not all struggle is this way.

Alonso, for example, has been on it since the start of the 2023 season when he moved to Aston Martin. Will Verstappen suffer if he switches teams? I think most people in Formula One don’t expect that.