Charles Leclerc’s four-word reaction after hearing Carlos Sainz scored his first podium for Williams

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Carlos Sainz enjoyed an incredible weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to finish P3 for Williams. It marks his first podium since leaving Ferrari.

The Spaniard has had a difficult start to life in Grove, having scored only 16 points heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Teammate Alex Albon has largely dominated him, scoring 70 points thus far.

Williams have no ‘feeling of panic’ about Sainz and his slow start with the team. He gave them every reason to be excited in Baku as he delivered a stunning qualifying to line up P2 behind Max Verstappen.

The 30-year-old had set the fastest time in Q3 as multiple drivers found the barriers and struggled for grip. But a maiden pole position for Williams was snatched away by Verstappen with a blistering lap.

Albon congratulated Sainz immediately after qualifying as he put his FW47 on the front row. And he was able to capitalise on his strong performance on Saturday to collect a deserved podium for Williams.

Charles Leclerc says ‘good job to him’ over Ferrari radio after Carlos Sainz scores first Williams podium in Baku

Sainz lost position to George Russell on the track and came under attack from his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the closing stages. But the Spaniard managed to pull away from the Italian and hold on to P3.

Team principal James Vowles hinted that Williams have fixed their tyre temperature issues in Baku, which has helped to unlock Sainz after a tough start to life in Grove.

His podium at the Azerbaijan GP marks Williams’ first top-three finish since George Russell at Spa in 2021. Sainz scored one point less this weekend than he had all season before the race.

Interestingly, he has grabbed his first podium for Williams before his Ferrari replacement Lewis Hamilton has for the Maranello outfit. Teammate Charles Leclerc finished P9 behind the Brit in Baku, and he reacted to Sainz’s P3 over the radio.

After the race, he asked race engineer Bryan Bozzi: “Is Carlos on the podium?” to which he replied: “Yes.”

The Monegasque driver then congratulated his former teammate as he said: “Good job to him!”

READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Carlos Sainz lauds ‘best podium’ of his career after finishing third for Williams in Baku

Sainz came over the radio claiming that Baku was his ‘best podium’ of his career. It marked the sheer scale of Williams’ progress in 2025 as they move from backmarkers to firm midfield contenders.

“Vamos! Vamos! The best podium in my career guys,” he said. “This is my first smooth operation in Williams – and not the last!”

The result will be a huge confidence boost for the team, especially as they head towards the 2026 F1 regulations. Williams have been prioritising the new rules to try and gain an advantage over the field.

With Mercedes power units, which are expected to be the strongest on the grid in 2026, many believe that Williams will take a step forward. But Sainz is worried about developing Mercedes’ engines and how to give them better software.