Williams – Carlos Sainz delivers strong performance: signs of a turning point after Baku GP. Carlos Sainz secures his first podium with Williams at the 2025 Baku GP.

Carlos Sainz secures his first podium with Williams at the 2025 Baku Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz returned to the podium at the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing third, and with seven races remaining in the 2025 season, he is challenging teammate Alex Albon in the standings.

While some in Maranello still regret his departure, at Grove there is hope that Sainz provides an efficient and professional drive, perfectly complementing the talent and confidence that Williams places in Alex Albon. Until now, the Madrid-born driver has had an unlucky season, marred by retirements, strategic errors, and races where the checkered flag simply did not favor him.

At Williams, car #55 brings extensive experience from F1, including stints with Toro Rosso (2015-2017), Renault (2017-2018), McLaren (2019-2020), and Ferrari during the past three seasons. The team, led by team principal James Vowles, turned to the 31-year-old to partner Albon for the current and next season, aiming to climb the standings that have often left Grove at the back in recent years.

Carlos Sainz’s 2025 season performance with Williams

After 16 rounds of the 2025 World Championship, Sainz was navigating the lower ranks of the standings, with few highlights and very few points. But during the Baku weekend, the Williams-Sainz partnership finally bore fruit. On Saturday, Sainz posted a qualifying time of 1:42.595, just half a second behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen.

The former Ferrari driver maximized his best result with the Grove team, driving the FW47 flawlessly to secure third place—his first podium in the white-and-blue suit. Meanwhile, teammate Alex Albon finished no higher than 13th, marking a rare underwhelming performance for the Thai driver, though Baku’s street circuit often makes overtaking a major challenge.

Season summary: Sainz vs. Albon

• Carlos Sainz #55: Points: 31 | Drivers’ Championship: 12th
• Alex Albon #23: Points: 70 | Drivers’ Championship: 8th
• Constructors’ Championship: 5th place with 101 points

Vowles comments on Baku performance

Following Carlos Sainz’s podium, which he described as more satisfying than his first in 2019 with McLaren, Williams aims to continue strong performances in the remaining seven races: Singapore, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Looking ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix, scheduled from October 2 to 5, team principal James Vowles acknowledged the challenges the track may present: “We’ll see how the car performs in terms of aerodynamic load, but beyond Singapore we still have many races where we can do well and demonstrate our value,” he concluded.