Why Baku F1 Podium Carlos Sainz’s character-building Williams campaign was just one award

Ferrari’s occupation Lewis Hamilton Was declared before the 2024 season, Carlos SainzThe man whom he was about to change was left to win every race or podium thinking whether it would be his last.

No top seat is available for the future of the red bull and the future of the future Mercedes Decided against Spaniereard hiring, Sainz got shelter WilliamsA challenging restoration project that he hugged, but a gamble without any guarantee will also be able to fulfill his promise to change the midfield team team’s boss James Walls and new investment.

While Williams still have a long road to run to become a precursor operation, the 2025 season showed progressed progress, the team provided a better car, which allowed Sainz and Team-Mate to Alex albon To take the grove team to fifth place in Standing.

But thus so far it is mainly attracting pladits for the best season of Albon, Sainz, stuck in his shadow. Spaniard initially found the Ferrari’s machinery more difficult to adjust to his new car, and also bored the credibility issues and operational mistakes, adding some of their own driving errors. This meant that Albon went over 70 points in the weekend-thanks to the fifth position thanks to the 16 of the Sainge.

The performance of Sainz was not as bad as the scorline suggests, and it has gradually come close to Albon, but the frustration was clearly creating on the lack of luck.

When asked that after 2024, Abu Dhabi Podium has been emotionally charged. Ferrari If he would be able to return to Rostrum at any time with his new employer, he replied: “This is a question that I cannot answer. It is impossible to predict the future, it is impossible to know how long it takes to fight me and Williams to fight for podium positions.

“I can tell you that I am firm at any time to help back that team, where it is.

Sainz would not be surprised at any time, as a strong answer to that question was done on Sunday with a blameless drive from the second place on the grid on the streets of Baku, when the drivers in better equipment ate in better equipment, barely laid groundwork with an excellent qualifying lap.

Turbulent 18 -month -old Sainz has set a long way towards explaining why opening her account for Williams felt better than her young woman podium, McLaren In 2019 in Grand Prix, Brazil.

He said, “This is even more mean when I put my bet on Williams, and I said that I really believe in this project, and I really believe that this team is growing,” he said after soaking on the occasion – and a abundant amount of MOET.

“I am very comfortable in this work environment, I am very comfortable with all the people around me. And I am actually very fast all year with the car.

Some people would have expected that Sainz will take the first podium for Williams, before their Ferrari replacement was found to Hamilton, but it is the same that has been transpired. But to take revenge, a fleeting idea also crossed his mind, Sainz is very good to say so in public.

“What everyone does is not my business, to be honest,” he replied that when Hamilton Statistical was kept with her. “I care about the first opportunity that I had to score a podium with Williams, and the first occasion Williams had to score a podium, we took it, we scored it, and it’s there.”

Despite being benefited by a mixed-up early grid, Sainz was a good value for its podium, Williams were actually rapidly below Baku Strait, but it is not in any confusion that repeated heroes will be repeated this year.

“I think it’s podium – until something is crazy – maybe our best opportunity,” he said. “Perhaps our next best track to try Las Vegas will be the best track and perhaps a top five or a top six will be kept together, which we can ever achieve when everything goes right. I will fight for it if it comes, as if you have seen today.

“But the rest, for example, in Qatar, I don’t think we will get the points. How much our performance swings. But then we will have Austin, Mexicose. We will be a pure midfield car where we can probably get in points and continue our championship.”

But while the focus of Williams is 2026 and beyond and whatever happens now is just a bonus, Sainz’s young woman Williams Rostrum cannot be understood to be morale. If the team has its own way, it is the first, tentalizing glimpse of what the future can be and another evidence is that the nine -time world champion has the right driver to guide in a new era. While Elbon faced a rare shocker of a weekend, he joined the team saluting Sainz under the podium.

For Sainz itself, it felt like a delicious reward for one of the most character-building periods of his career.

“I think life has taught me many times that this happens sometimes that you have a part of misfortune or poor performance, but if you work hard then suddenly life really gives you something sweet in this way.”