Sainz savours Williams podium as Verstappen dominates in Baku

SPANIARD Carlos Sainz said his third-place finish and first podium since joining Williams had given him a “life lesson” as he celebrated “the best result of my career” with a song at Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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CARLOS Sainz celebrates third place in Baku, his first podium with Williams, as Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

(AFP)

On the team radio during his slowdown lap he sang: This is my first ‘smooth operation’ for Williams,” a reference to the 1984 Sade hit Smooth Operator and the nickname given to him by former teammates.

A four-time race winner with Ferrari, Sainz secured Williams’s first full-race podium since Lance Stroll finished third at the same event in 2017.

“Tam extremely proud of everyone at Williams for pushing through a very difficult year,” said Sainz.

“We have proved to everyone that we have taken a massive step compared to last year. We are on the tise and going in the right direction, but unfortunately, with me, we have had a lot of bad luck and incidents.”