Carlos Sainz on Williams podium in Austin Sprint: “This is the real potential of the car”. Carlos Sainz finishes on the podium in the Austin Sprint Race.

Carlos Sainz delivered an impressive performance in the Sprint Race of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, finishing on the lowest step of the podium. The Spanish driver not only demonstrated the strength of the Williams project but also took full advantage of the first-lap chaos caused by the two McLaren drivers in Turn 1.

Starting from a strong seventh position, Carlos Sainz managed to avoid the first-lap incident involving the two McLarens and Nico Hulkenberg, moving himself onto the podium. While he could not match the pace of George Russell and Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz had to stay alert with the two Ferrari drivers pressuring him from behind.

Despite the challenges, Carlos Sainz successfully defended his position, maintaining a gap of over a second to Lewis Hamilton. The late Safety Car, triggered by a second incident, ultimately froze the positions, securing Grove another vital podium following their earlier success in Baku.

Carlos Sainz expressed his satisfaction, stating: “We had a very solid pace today, and third place is excellent. The pace has always been there for us, but we haven’t been able to show it in the best way. Now things are going in the right direction. I am doing everything I was doing before, nothing more, and I am happy that we are demonstrating the true potential of this car. We are still missing a little, but we are right in the mix.”