‘I didn’t think…’: Carlos Sainz Sr admits how his son’s ‘special’ first Williams F1 podium proved him wrong

Carlos Sainz Jr is now only the second driver in F1 history to get a Grand Prix podium for McLaren, Ferrari and Williams following his P3 in the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The 31-year-old took the 28th podium of his career so far in Baku, to also give Williams their first rostrum since George Russell got P2 in the rained-off 2021 Belgian GP. Williams had not earned a podium in a normal Grand Prix since the 2017 Azerbaijan GP with Lance Stroll’s P3.

Sainz now joins four-time F1 drivers’ championship winner Alain Prost in the record books as the only drivers to score Grand Prix podium finishes for McLaren, Ferrari and Williams. Sainz took two rostrums for McLaren (2019-20) and 25 for Ferrari (‘21-24) before joining Williams.

Unlike Russell’s 2021 Belgian GP rostrum, Sainz sealed P3 in the 2025 Azerbaijan GP entirely on merit after he qualified P2 in Baku last weekend. The Spaniard enjoyed a clean start and an intelligent race, and he only lost P2 to George Russell due to the Mercedes ace’s strategy.

Carlos Sainz Sr did not expect Carlos Sainz Jr’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix podium for Williams

Russell overcut Sainz for P2 in the Azerbaijan GP last Sunday, having run long in the Briton’s first stint after starting on the hard compound C4 Pirelli tyres while the Williams ace started on the medium C5 compound. Russell only pitted on Lap 39/51, while Sainz stopped on L27.

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His podium in Baku is also by far the best result that Sainz has secured since joining Williams from Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season. The Madrid native had not finished a Grand Prix higher than P8 over the previous 16 races, nor had he finished higher than P10 over the prior nine.

And two-time WRC champion Carlos Sainz Sr admits he did not expect to see his son secure a podium in Baku, “especially” as the only interruption was caused by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s first-lap crash in the Azerbaijan GP demanding an early safety car to recover his car.

Sainz Sr told MARCA: “We’re very happy. It’s a great result. He’s worked hard for it and, after a bad run, the sun always comes out a little.

“This time it was a podium with Williams, which is an excellent result, especially because it wasn’t due to yellow flags, a safety car, rain or a bad tyre choice.

“A podium with Williams is a very special achievement. I think it must be very special for him because I didn’t think he was going to be able to achieve a result like that and, in the end, it worked out.”

Carlos Sainz Sr shares what he told Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr after his podium in Baku

Sainz was concerned for Williams’ Azerbaijan GP hopes after practice on Friday, as the team struggled to extract performance from Pirelli’s C6 soft compound tyres. But the City of Wind lived up to its nickname come qualifying, and the cooler conditions helped him to secure P2.

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A smart drive on Sunday also returned Sainz’s first podium for Williams, which also shot him up the F1 drivers’ standings from P18 with 16 points across 16 rounds to P12 with 31 points. It also put Williams on 101 points, marking their first season with more than 100 since 2016.

But Sainz Sr was quick to remind his son after the Azerbaijan GP to look forward to what he and Williams can achieve next. This season is also not Williams’ focus, as the team put all of their wind tunnel resources into their car for F1’s huge 2026 regulations overhaul in January.

“He and I talked about it yesterday,” Sainz Sr added. “Now, he has to move on, keep chipping away and think about the next one.

“We’ll try to have a good end to the season, keep learning, keep motivating and working as a team with Williams, and hope that next year they have a good car with all the regulation changes.”