Sainz earns Williams first full-race podium since 2017 in Baku

Carlos Sainz delivered a landmark result for Williams on Sunday, finishing third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku to give the Grove team its first full-race podium since 2017 and to notch his first rostrum since joining Williams this season. Sainz started second after a rain-affected qualifying session and converted that grid position into a composed race performance that kept faster rivals at bay and rewarded a weekend of consistent pace.

Qualifying in Baku was disrupted by gusting winds and rain, producing six red-flag stoppages and leaving only a handful of drivers with clean laps in Q3. Sainz put together a timely lap between stoppages to take provisional front-row position, with only Max Verstappen able to better him when the session resumed. On Sunday he managed tyre life and track position with minimal error, holding off Mercedes drivers in the closing stages to secure third.

The result carries multiple layers of significance for driver and team. It was Williams first full-race top-three finish since Lance Stroll’s podium in Baku in 2017 and their first meaningful rostrum since George Russell’s rain-affected second place at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which did not...