Charles Leclerc reacts to Carlos Sainz securing his first ever podium for Williams in the F1 Azerbaijan GP

Charles Leclerc let his feelings known after his former teammate, Carlos Sainz, claimed his first podium at Williams. The Spanish driver, who left Ferrari last year, finished the Azerbaijan GP in P3, behind race winner Max Verstappen and the driver in P2, George Russell.

Sainz started his race from P2 after a stellar qualifying effort on Saturday. However, he lost a place to George Russell, but kept P3 and came home with his first podium at the Grove-based team. After the race was over, Leclerc, Sainz's former teammate at Ferrari, reacted to the latter's achievement and shared his thoughts.

"I'm really happy for him," Leclerc said in the post-race interview. "I mean, 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," he further added.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz raced together for four years at Ferrari from 2021 to 2024. During these times, they performed at par, leaving no stone unturned to prove his worth. However, at the end of 2024, Ferrari parted ways with the Spanish driver to make way for Lewis Hamilton.

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Charles Leclerc addressed his Azerbaijan GP after average performance

Following the conclusion of the Azerbaijan GP, Charles Leclerc shared his thoughts. Speaking to the media after the race, the Monegasque driver revealed the reason behind his average display.

Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari speaks in the media pen after the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty

"Today, what mattered was being on the right strategy, in the sense that some cars started on Hards and others on Mediums, and the most important thing was to find yourself in the faster group of cars who were on the same tyres as you, in order to be able to fight your way forward," Leclerc said. "I was stuck behind Liam (Lawson) for most of the second stint. He was on a different strategy with the Mediums and I was on Hards at that point, so I couldn't overtake him. I also had a small issue on my PU, which affected my pace for a few laps."

Leclerc started his race from P10 after crashing in Q3, and came home in P10. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, improved as he started from P12 and crossed the finish line in P8.

Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas