Sainz: Podium in Baku with Williams, “better than first” in F1

Carlos Sainz: “This podium with Williams tastes better than the first one”

Williams driver Carlos Sainz expressed that his third place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was even more satisfying than the first podium of his career. Sainz, 31 years old, has 28 podium finishes in 11 Formula 1 seasons, including four victories as a Ferrari driver. His first podium was at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, when he was competing for McLaren. After joining Williams at the beginning of this season, after being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, Sainz described his first podium with his new team as an experience full of emotion.

Honestly, I can’t describe how happy I am, how good this feels. This is even better than my first podium.

Carlos Sainz

Sainz highlighted the team’s effort throughout the year and how they managed to demonstrate their potential when everything aligns. Sainz started from second position on the grid, capitalizing on a chaotic qualifying session at the Baku street circuit on Saturday. He maintained a high performance throughout the 53 laps of the race, losing only one position to Mercedes’ George Russell, who used a different strategy.

Sainz expressed pride in the Williams team and the progress made, despite a difficult year.

I am extremely proud of everyone at Williams for overcoming our very difficult year. I think we have shown everyone the big step we took compared to last year. We are on the rise; we are going in the right direction.

Carlos Sainz

After Williams focused its efforts in 2026, Sainz considers that the podium in Baku could be the highlight of his debut season with the team. Sainz anticipates that Las Vegas could be another favorable circuit for the team, where they could aim for a top five or six.