"This was my first smooth operation in Williams": Carlos Sainz reacts to his first podium with the team

Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz was buoyed after his first podium with the team at the end of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Spanish driver started the race from the front row behind polesitter and his ex-teammate Max Verstappen, and made a good start off the line.

After seeing off the initial challenge from Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, the former Ferrari driver solidified his hold on P2. Wary of Mercedes driver George Russell's pace in the race, the Spaniard urged his team not to get undercut by the Brit, but to no avail, and found himself in P3 after the latter's pit stop.

Carlos Sainz then turned his attention to the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli in his bid to keep hold of the podium, which he did. On the team radio after crossing the chequered flag, the four-time F1 race winner was elated by his maiden podium with the Grove-based outfit and said:

"Vamos! Vamos! Best podium in my career. You cannot imagine how this tastes. Thank you so much. This is my first Smooth Operation in Williams!"

It has been a tough first year with the iconic British team for the 31-year-old, who switched from Ferrari at the start of the season.

Carlos Sainz expresses his delight after securing his first podium

Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz stated that his happiness after claiming his maiden podium with the team was indescribable, given his struggles over the past couple of months on the track.

In his post-race interview with F1TV, the Madrid-born native reflected and said:

"I cannot describe how happy I am and how good this feels. It tastes even better than my first-ever podium. We have been fighting hard all year and we proved when we had the speed, we had it all year and everything comes together and we can do some amazing things together. We nailed the race, not one mistake and we managed to beat a lot of cars yesterday that we wouldn't have expected to beat." "I'm extremely proud of everyone at Williams for pushing through a very difficult year. We have proven to everyone the massive step we took compared to last year. We are on the rise and the right direction."

Previous to his P3 finish in Baku, Carlos Sainz had only scored a combined 16 points all year and had been pointless since the Canadian GP weekend.

Edited by Devang Chauhan