Watch: James Vowles reacts to Carlos Sainz's sensational qualifying in the F1 Azerbaijan GP

Williams team principal, James Vowles, addressed Carlos Sainz's stellar qualifying effort and praised the Spanish driver for his performance. Sharing his thoughts in a video posted by the Williams F1 team, Vowles recalled the long and chaotic qualifying on Saturday and hailed his team.

Sainz pulled off a stunning flying lap in Q3 as he finished the session in P2. He was only slower than pole sitter Max Verstappen, who was nearly five-tenths faster than him. With this, Sainz will start from the front row for the first time since his Ferrari days.

Sainz set up 1:41.595 on the timesheet and was over a tenth faster than Liam Lawson, the driver in P3. As the Spaniard pulled off the stellar qualifying performance, here's what his team principal had to say about him:

"What a fantastic finish of qualifying on Saturday for Carlos. We're second on the grid, a front row start and it feels brilliant for the team. I think the first and foremost point out that the qualifying session was over two and half hours with six red flags, and I'm fairly sure I've aged 10 years in a few minutes." "It was great to see Carlos absolutely flying on form and I have to acknowledge as well that the team did a great job. Not just today but across the last week or so where we've been focusing on how to get this qualifying conditions right. How to get the most out of these tires on that first time lap," he further added.

Unfortunately, Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, finished the qualifying in P20 after he made contact with the wall at Turn 1. Albon's P20 has come as a huge blow for the British team, until Sainz's P2 later in the session.

Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell managed P4 and P5, respectively, while Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris, and Isack Hadjar are in P6, P7, and P8. Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, the drivers who crashed in Q3, will start from P9 and P10, respectively.

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Carlos Sainz shared his thoughts after fantastic Azerbaijan GP qualifying

Following the conclusion of the Azerbaijan GP qualifying, Carlos Sainz let his feelings known and stated that he wants to secure his first podium with Williams. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, here's what the Spanish driver said:

Carlos Sainz during the Azerbaijan GP - Source: Getty

"Very happy! We nailed the Qualifying today, always on the right tyre at the right time and some very good laps. We are P2, it is great news. Plan for tomorrow - try and stick it on the podium. I am going to try my best to give Williams a first podium."

Currently, Carlos Sainz is in P18 in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points after 16 races and three Sprints. His teammate, Alex Albon, is in P7 with 70 points. Williams are in P5 in the Constructors' Championship with 86 points.

Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas