Carlos Sainz celebrates first Williams podium as Charles Leclerc praises former teammate
Former Ferrari man Carlos Sainz delivered a breakthrough efficiency on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing a powerful third-place end for Williams. This marks the Spaniard’s first podium since departing the Maranello staff and represents a major milestone in his transition to Grove.
A difficult begin for Sainz at Williams
The 30-year-old Spaniard had skilled a tough starting with Williams, scoring simply 16 factors previous to Baku, whereas teammate Alex Albon had already amassed 70 factors. Regardless of the gradual begin, the staff has maintained confidence in Sainz’s talents, believing his expertise and expertise would ultimately translate into sturdy outcomes.
Baku proved to be the proper alternative for Sainz to showcase his ability. He delivered an distinctive qualifying efficiency, lining up second on the grid behind Max Verstappen. His Q3 lap was the quickest of any driver earlier than Verstappen snatched pole with a last blistering effort. A number of drivers struggled with grip and crashed, highlighting the issue of the road circuit, however Sainz managed to extract the utmost from the Williams FW47.
Capitalising on front-row potential
Alex Albon congratulated Sainz instantly after qualifying, recognising his sturdy efficiency that put Williams on the entrance row for the primary time in years. On race day, Sainz transformed his sturdy beginning place right into a podium end, regardless of shedding floor to George Russell and keeping off late stress from Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. He held onto third place to safe a well-earned outcome for Williams.
Williams staff principal James Vowles advised that enhancements to tyre temperature administration in Baku performed a key function in unlocking Sainz’s tempo, addressing one of many challenges that had hindered his early outcomes this season.
Williams’ first top-three end since 2017
Sainz’s podium is Williams’ first within the Azerbaijan GP since Lance Stroll’s third-place end in 2017. Remarkably, the Spaniard collected virtually as many factors in a single weekend in Baku as he had gathered all season earlier than the race. The achievement additionally got here earlier than his Ferrari alternative, Lewis Hamilton, managed to succeed in the rostrum with Maranello, highlighting the Spaniard’s sturdy begin along with his new staff.
Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s former Ferrari teammate, reacted over the Ferrari staff radio when he discovered about Carlos Sainz’s outcome. He confirmed with race engineer Bryan Bozzi that Carlos Sainz had certainly completed on the rostrum and provided a quick, optimistic comment, praising his former teammate with a “good job to him.”
Sainz hails Baku as career-defining podium
Following the race, Carlos Sainz described the Azerbaijan GP podium because the “greatest podium” of his profession, emphasizing the graceful operation and progress Williams demonstrated in 2025. He acknowledged the milestone as a lift for each his confidence and the staff’s morale, particularly with the upcoming 2026 Method 1 rules on the horizon.
He celebrated over the radio, expressing pleasure and optimism, indicating that this outcome wouldn’t be an remoted success for him or Williams. The staff has been actively making ready for the 2026 F1 rules and goals to leverage Mercedes energy models, broadly anticipated to be essentially the most aggressive engines on the grid, to achieve a bonus over rivals.
Regardless of the success, Carlos Sainz additionally highlighted the challenges forward, significantly concerning the event of Mercedes engines and refining software program efficiency to maximise competitiveness. Nonetheless, the Azerbaijan podium underscored each Carlos Sainz’s expertise and Williams’ progress from backmarkers to severe midfield contenders within the 2025 Method 1 season.
