Yeah, they're not getting that 20 yr old that's thirsting for his 1st win, they are getting a 40yr old at the end of his driving career and father time is undefeated. Dude can still whup it on the track, but Sainz wasn't no scrub.
I do expect Lewis to improve on his qualification runs though. Mercedes has struggled with this new car since its inception and each GP has been a real fight for them to even compete at the same level that they achieved early on with these hybrids.
Ferrari's problem has been race management and Hamilton joining them is not the remedy to that problem, they need to fix what's happening in their booth. I think Lewis is gonna regret leaving Mercedes when he has his 1st experience with Ferrari's questionable raceday decision.