On Sunday, Carlos Sainz secured his second podium for Williams. In the desert of Qatar, the Spaniard kept his cool and took full advantage of a strategic blunder by McLaren. Initially, he had never expected a podium to be within reach. Sainz therefore dedicated his result to Williams, which, according to him, had operated ‘perfectly’ at the Losail International Circuit.
“Incredible, incredible,” Carlos Sainz exclaimed over the team radio during the cooldown lap. Moments later, he was speaking to Martin Brundle on the grid. “I am so incredibly happy and proud,” the Spaniard beamed, his mechanics’ cheers almost drowning him out. “Initially, we thought this would be our toughest weekend of the year, but now I’m standing here on the podium. We executed everything perfectly: the race pace, the strategy, tyre management, the start, the defence… everything. And in the end, that simply results in a podium. I couldn’t be prouder.”
This is already the second Williams podium for the Spaniard, who, after a difficult first half of the season, has put together a series of impressive races. “So much went wrong for us in the first half of the season, but we have improved in countless areas,” concluded Sainz, still beaming. “Today, we simply seized every opportunity with both hands. So yes, I am overjoyed with this podium.”
