Carlos Sainz explains his stunning Williams performance and unexpected F1 Qatar GP podium. Carlos Sainz scored a sensational podium for Williams at the Qatar GP.

Carlos Sainz returned to the podium for the second time this season after delivering an extraordinary race, completing an outstanding Qatar Grand Prix with his Williams. Against all expectations, especially on what was supposed to be one of the toughest circuits of the entire calendar for the team, Carlos Sainz managed to secure a sensational third place. The Spanish driver explained the key elements behind this result, taking the opportunity to praise the entire Williams team.

Carlos Sainz’s race

After a strong qualifying session that placed him in a comfortable seventh position, Carlos Sainz was able to make the most of every opportunity that came his way. At the start he recovered several positions, settling right behind Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. The decisive moment came when race control deployed the Safety Car to recover Nico Hülkenberg’s car.

With the entire field diving into the pits — except for the two McLarens — Antonelli got caught out by the traffic in the pit lane, forced to wait a few extra seconds before being released. Thanks to the location of the Williams pit box at the far end of the lane, Carlos Sainz managed to jump ahead and take fourth place in front of the Italian driver.

With a few laps remaining, and after Lando Norris made his pit stop, Carlos Sainz moved into third position. Despite dealing with some floor damage, he was able to keep the World Championship leader at bay until the chequered flag.

Carlos Sainz’s words

“I’m extremely happy with the result and very proud of the entire team for the hard work they put in throughout this weekend. At the beginning we thought this would be one of the most difficult events for us, yet we ended up on the podium. The key was getting everything right: strategy, pit stops and excellent pace. We couldn’t have done better.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out.

“We executed everything to perfection. We’ve improved in so many areas over the course of the year and today we maximized all our potential, bringing home a perfect race that no one expected.”

From the team that started the season at the back to regular midfield contenders and now podium finishers twice in one year – Williams and Carlos Sainz are writing one of the feel-good stories of 2025.