When Carlos Sainz was ousted from Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season, he would not have imagined getting drenched in Champagne, not with the kind of form Williams Racing has been in over two decades. But he managed to do just that, in a race where Formula One’s best active drivers and veterans failed.
Sainz seemed like a future championship prospect with Ferrari or a great teammate to Charles Leclerc, Scuderia’s number one driver. But when the seven-time F1 champion, Lewis Hamilton, became available, Ferrari did not hesitate to replace Sainz. The Spaniard, however, found a new home in Williams Racing for 2025.
How Did Carlos Sainz Create History at Baku?
Sainz would not have minded this switch if it were the 1980s or the 1990s, when Williams was F1’s number one team and even Ferrari was struggling to keep up. However, since the early 2000s, the team hasn’t been able to find its old self. But somehow, Baku has always been lucky for them.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicked off with F1’s most chaotic qualification in the sport’s history. Six red flags saw many top drivers scrambling for position; however, Sainz was unfazed by the madness and bagged a P2 behind Max Verstappen on pole.
Baku is known to be challenging, and many thought Sainz wouldn’t be able to hold on to his position. But after 51 laps of the race, Sainz was only beaten by George Russell, who finished second.
Still, the 31-year-old isn’t complaining; he was more than pleased with the podium finish. Post the race, Sainz said, “We’ve proven to everyone the massive step that we took compared to last year. We are on the rise, we are heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, with me, we’ve had a lot of bad luck…but now I understand why it all happened, because the first podium needed to come like this, and it’s just life.”
“It tastes even better than the first-ever podium”
Carlos Sainz ecstatic after claiming his maiden podium for Williams and the 28th of his career 💪#F1 #AzerbaijanGP https://t.co/Ss6lkAaEtK
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 21, 2025
To the four-time race winner, this podium felt even better than the first time he got it, back when he was running for McLaren. “Honestly, I cannot describe how happy I am or how good this feels. It tastes even better than the first-ever podium that I did,” he added.
Even though this is Sainz’s 28th podium, it’s special for another reason. The last time Williams got it in a full race was back in 2017, with Lance Stroll; even then, it was at Baku. In 2021, Russell got it too for them, but it was in a rain-shortened race. So Sainz has paid back the trust the veteran team put in him.
Also, Sainz is now in an elite group of drivers, becoming only the second driver to win podiums with McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams. The first one to do this was F1 legend, Alain Prost. For now, the podium has also salvaged his season. Sainz has jumped six positions to 12th place.
