WATCH: Charles Leclerc congratulates Carlos Sainz on maiden William podium in Azerbaijan GP

Carlos Sainz secured his first podium with Williams at the Azerbaijan GP, and his former teammate, Charles Leclerc, was one of the first ones to congratulate the Spanish on the stellar result. Sainz had kicked-off the race on the front row and was able to retain a podium finish, despite danger from faster cars behind.

The 31-year-old racer joined Williams on a multi-year basis in 2025, as he had to leave to make space for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. While the Grove-based squad is not regarded as the world champion outfit that it used to be, Sainz joined the side to build the team from zero level on a long-term project.

Although his start to the 2025 campaign did not go in his favor as he had collected 16 points in first 16 races, while his teammate Alex Albon had collected a massive 70 points in the same time frame. But, it was all not to Sainz's pace as he had missed out on collecting points for one reason or another, which was out of his bounds.

The scenario changed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as he kicked off from the front row en route to finishing P3 at the end of 51 laps. With the Spanish ecstatic on his achievement, he was also congratulated by fellow racers, consisting of Leclerc, who swiftly ventured over to his former teammate soon after getting out of his car:

Moreover, when questioned in a post-race interview about his feelings on Carlos Sainz' podium, Leclerc told the media: