Formula 1

Vowes hails ‘exceptional’ Sainz after stunning Qatar podium

Fraser Masefield
1 week ago
3 min read

Williams Racing team boss James Vowes hailed an ‘exceptional’ drive from his Spanish driver Carlos Sainz after he secured a quite brilliant podium in the Qatar Grand Prix.

Starting from seventh on the grid, Sainz made up ground at the start before pitting for fresh rubber under the Safety Car following Nico Hulkenberg’s crash.

And he was able to hold off a charging Lando Norris by less than a second come the chequered flag.

“Exceptional. Really fantastic performance from Carlos and the team when it counted and every detail adds up,” commented Vowes on his team’s official press release. “Getting on the podium by milliseconds really is such a just reward for the incredible work the whole team is putting in this year.

“I was proud of Carlos and the team when we got our first podium in Baku; the second is a dream come true, but perhaps more importantly at a track that was almost our worst last year. And we’ve come back, we’ve reinvented ourselves and the result is there for everyone to see.”

For Sainz himself, the result was confirmation that the former Ferrari driver remains one of the best drivers on the grid.

“Extremely happy,” said Sainz afterwards. “We had a very strong start and from there we executed a perfect race with strategy, tyre management, pit stops and communication. By the end of the second stint, I saw Piastri struggled to overtake me on fresh tyres, and at that moment I realised we had to go for the podium.

“I was pushing to the limit of the car but 6 laps to the end something suddenly broke! I started losing a lot of lap time in sectors 1 and 3 but I managed to keep it together and bring it home for P3!”

Sainz’s podium means that the Williams F1 team cemented fifth place in the constructors’ standings and cannot be caught by the Racing Bulls team.

“Today’s result is testament to the team’s hard work; I knew we were taking the right steps and, despite some difficult race weekends along the way, I had full confidence in what we are doing,” added Sainz.

“I’m extremely proud of everyone, we deserve this P5 in the Constructor’s Championship, and I look forward to finishing the season on another high in Abu Dhabi! Let’s go!”

Fraser Masefield

Fraser is a sports and motorsports editor with over 25 years experience. The former head editor of WilliamsF1, BMW Motorsport, Jaguar Racing and Virgin Media, he has also worked for Autosport, ESPNF1 and Eurosport amongst others.

View all posts

You may also like