Carlos Sainz achieved his first podium finish with Williams at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, prompting his former Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, to quickly commend him on the impressive outcome. Starting from the front row, Sainz maintained his position despite pressure from faster cars during the race’s 51 laps.
The Spaniard, 31, signed a multi-year deal with Williams beginning in 2025 after making way for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Although Williams is no longer the dominant team it once was, Sainz joined with the ambition of contributing to a long-term rebuilding plan for the Grove-based outfit.
Sainz’s start to the 2025 season had been challenging, scoring only 16 points across the first 16 races, while teammate Alex Albon amassed 70 points in the same period. Despite these struggles, many of Sainz’s missed points came from circumstances beyond his control rather than lack of performance.
At the Azerbaijan GP, Sainz’s fortunes shifted as he started on the front row and finished in third place, delighting fans and the team alike. Leclerc was among the first drivers to offer congratulations, approaching Sainz immediately after the race.
Leclerc Reflects on Sainz’s Podium Breakthrough
During a post-race interview, Charles Leclerc expressed his happiness for Sainz and highlighted the Spaniard’s misfortune earlier in the year. Speaking to several media outlets, including SK, Leclerc said,
“I’m really happy for him. Obviously we are travelling to basically all the races together, so we’ve had time to talk and he’s been so unlucky since the beginning of the year and I don’t think it was ever a lack of speed or whatsoever. I think it was more a fortune thing, which luckily today he overcame and I’m very happy to see him on the podium.”
– Charles Leclerc, F1 Driver
This podium marked the first time in three years that a Williams driver stood on the podium, the previous being George Russell at the shortened 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
Sainz Expresses Joy After Achieving First Williams Podium
Though Alex Albon has been Williams’ primary points scorer this season, Sainz showed his potential in Baku by leading the team’s charge. After completing the 51-lap race, the Spaniard shared his emotions during an F1TV broadcast, saying,
“Honestly, I cannot describe how happy I am, how good this feels. Tastes even better than my first-ever podium that I did… We didn’t make one mistake and managed to beat a lot of cars I didn’t expect to beat.”
– Carlos Sainz, Williams F1 Driver
Williams team principal James Vowles also voiced his desire for Sainz to achieve success with the team since the season’s start. He remarked in a post-race interview,
“I’ll even take it a further, I’ve wanted him [Carlos] basically having a great result. Since the beginning of the year, you could see it coming, but it never come together for one reason or another.”
– James Vowles, Williams Team Principal
This milestone elevated Sainz to 12th place in the driver standings, moving him out of the lower ranks where he had remained for much of the season.
Context of Sainz’s 2025 Season and Williams’ Ambitions
Sainz’s transition from Ferrari to Williams came amid considerable change, as Lewis Hamilton took his seat at Ferrari. Williams, once a dominant force in Formula 1, is focusing on long-term growth under the stewardship of people like Vowles and drivers who bring experience combined with potential.
Despite a difficult start to the year, highlighted by frequent misfortune, Sainz’s performance in Azerbaijan demonstrated his capability to challenge top competitors and boost Williams’s competitiveness in the championship.
Implications and Future Prospects After the Podium Finish
The podium at Baku is significant for both Sainz and Williams. For the team, it marks a return to the upper echelons of the sport, reviving hopes for a revival after several years away from the podium spots. Meanwhile, for Sainz, this achievement serves as a turning point that could fuel further successes this season.
Leclerc’s support underscores the camaraderie shared among drivers even as they compete fiercely on track, and his acknowledgment reflects the respect Sainz commands within the paddock. As the 2025 season progresses, observers will watch closely to see if Sainz can build on this breakthrough to challenge higher in the standings and if Williams can capitalize on this momentum to advance their rebuilding project.
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