Carlos Sainz says many individuals at Williams would have doubted that he may convert his front-row begin right into a podium end earlier than his breakthrough efficiency on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Sainz began second in Baku and completed third behind runaway winner Max Verstappen and George Russell, who used another technique to run lengthy and overcut the Williams driver for the runner-up end. The Spaniard needed to take in strain for Andrea Kimi Antonelli within the second Mercedes deep into the second stint of the race, however a superbly judged technique secured him a spot on the podium.
Sainz had been assured on Saturday evening that he may take residence a trophy, however with each Mercedes drivers having been set to start out within the prime 5, each McLaren drivers within the prime 10 and each Ferrari drivers within the prime 12, he admitted after the race that his view wouldn’t have been shared by everybody on the staff.
“In all probability in the event you requested many people yesterday, we didn’t imagine the rostrum was really achievable with so many quick vehicles behind,” he stated. “However I believe we’ve had good tempo this 12 months, we simply didn’t have many alternatives to point out it.
“I all the time stated to the staff from the start that at any time when a primary massive alternative of preventing for a podium comes – so long as now we have all the pieces below management and nothing goes improper and we show to everybody what we’re doing – and we get that podium, then I’ll be OK. It’s precisely what ended up occurring at the moment.
“We had our probability ranging from P2. Right this moment we had an excellent alternative to point out our excellent tempo, and we managed to remain on the rostrum. Solely George managed to beat us with excellent tempo, however it was a really well-executed race.”
Though he finally gave strategy to Russell, Sainz proved his qualifying tempo was no fluke. Simon Galloway/Getty Photographs
The consequence was solely Williams’s fourth podium within the final 10 years and its first podium for the reason that 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, the place no racing laps had been accomplished in what was a completely washed-out race. The staff’s final podium trophy from a race that went the space was taken by Lance Stroll on the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Whereas Sainz stood on the rostrum final November and gained the final of his 4 victories up to now final October – each in his closing season with Ferrari – the 31-year-old stated his first in Williams colours was probably the most significant of his profession.
“one hundred pc this one means much more simply due to, clearly, a 12 months in the past once I put my guess on Williams and I stated I’m going to this staff as a result of I actually imagine on this challenge and I actually imagine that this staff is on the rise,” he stated. “I’m very comfy on this working atmosphere, additionally very comfy with everybody round me, and I’ve really been fairly quick all 12 months with the automotive.
“I believe out of everybody that’s modified groups – which isn’t a straightforward job these days – I’ve been very aggressive from the primary race, very fast, however I didn’t have outcomes with me. I didn’t have outcomes to show to myself, the staff and everybody that some good issues had been about to return. However ultimately they did.
“I believe life has taught me many occasions that this typically occurs – that you’ve a run of misfortune or dangerous performances, however then instantly life offers you again, in the event you preserve working laborious, with one thing actually candy like this.”
