David Coulthard praises Carlos Sainz for ‘really great’ Qatar message, Lewis Hamilton must copy him

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Carlos Sainz has completed a remarkable feat during his first season with Williams that has followed him around throughout his Formula 1 career.

Each of the five teams that Carlos Sainz has driven for in F1 have improved their position in the constructors’ championship during the first season that the Spaniard has raced for them.

Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, and now Williams have all benefited from the arrival of the 31-year-old Spaniard.

Who is going to win the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship?

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James Vowles’ team will finish fifth this season thanks to Sainz’s podium at the Qatar Grand Prix, although he’s still nine points behind his teammate Alex Albon in the standings.

Williams worked around their weaknesses in Qatar to help deliver such a strong result for Sainz, and that will give him a lot of hope that he’s racing for the right team heading into 2026.

One person in particular who was impressed with Sainz was David Coulthard. The former McLaren driver believes that the four-time race winner is displaying a level of leadership at Williams this year that Lewis Hamilton could replicate at Ferrari going forward.

READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

David Coulthard raves about Carlos Sainz’s in-car leadership at the Qatar Grand Prix

Coulthard was analysing the Qatar Grand Prix for Channel 4, and reflecting on the Williams driver’s second Grand Prix podium of the season, he said: “What’s been really great is I expected at the beginning of the year that he’d be right there with Alex and maybe showing Alex what a Ferrari driver could do.

“It was the opposite. Albon, showing his leadership of the team and understanding.

“But the last few races, as we get to the end of his first season, he’s the one who’s been getting the results.

“And I love the fact that he was directing the team from the cockpit.

“That’s leadership, and I’m sure James Vowles absolutely loved it as well.”

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

Lewis Hamilton’s radio messages highlight the lack of leadership at Ferrari this season

Sainz is well-known for being one of the analytical drivers on the grid and proved this during his Williams debut at the start of the season.

Albon finished fifth at the Australian Grand Prix, and after an early error in the torrential rain, Sainz sat on the Williams pit wall and helped guide him through the race.

Throughout the year, Sainz has been transferring his Ferrari knowledge to Williams, and while this may have slowed down his progress on the track to begin with, he’s at the top of his game now.

On the other hand, Sainz’s old team, Ferrari, have struggled throughout 2025 and appear to be getting worse compared to their rivals as the season goes on.

Finish the sentence: In 2026, Carlos Sainz will finish ____ in the championship with Williams

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One of the most interesting aspects of Ferrari’s difficulties this year have been the communications between their drivers and the team during race weekends.

Hamilton sounded despondent in Qatar as he asked how many positions he lost in the pit lane when double-stacked behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

He wasn’t able to mix up his strategy because of the 25-lap tyre limit, but throughout the season, Hamilton has been searching for answers on the team radio that Ferrari haven’t been able to answer.

Sainz, on the other hand, is dictating things for Williams from inside the car, and Hamilton and Ferrari need to find a way to do that as well if 2026 is going to be more successful than this season.