Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard believes Carlos Sainz will already be evaluating his options away from Williams, following a turbulent start to the 2026 season for the Grove outfit.
Sainz made a high-profile switch from Ferrari to Williams in 2025 after being replaced at the Maranello outfit by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
After looking at all of the options on the table, Sainz ultimately committed to the long-term project at Williams as team principal James Vowles works to return the team to its former championship-winning glory.
However, Williams has endured a troubled start to the 2026 regulations. The team missed private testing in Barcelona and arrived at pre-season testing in Bahrain with an overweight car. While the outfit has made improvements, it currently sits eighth in the constructors’ championship with 11 points.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, 13-time grand prix winner Coulthard argued that the reality of going from a team that was fighting for podiums to one lower down the grid is beginning to set in for the Spaniard.
“You can see the frustration for the drivers, visibly, I guess a bit more for Alex, who has now just celebrated being the most racy driver for Williams – that probably doesn’t make sense in English. I am Scottish after all. He’s done more grands prix than any other driver for the Williams team,” the former Red Bull driver said.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
“So he’s embedded in that team. He’s part of the DNA and has consistently delivered. So, I guess his frustration level will be higher than Carlos, who, let’s be frank, he’s definitely eyeballing where his next opportunity lies because he’s gone from Ferrari winning grands prix to Williams being happy scoring points.
“He wants to be back there again. And that journey for Williams is going to take a few years. So, I think we’ve got to give credit for the progress, but of course, it’s Williams and that name in itself, we expect more.”
Sainz himself has not hinted that he could be looking elsewhere. The 31-year-old driver recently reaffirmed his commitment to Williams. “The ideal scenario and the ideal path moving forward for me has always been Williams and has always been seeing the progress of this team and continuing to help this team become a competitive team,” Sainz said.
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