Albon 'very happy' for Sainz and 'proud' of Williams after podium in Baku

Alex Albon was delighted for Williams team mate Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard scored his first podium since joining the squad at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Thai driver left feeling “very proud” of the team as a result.

After a strong Qualifying saw him start from P2 on the grid, Sainz executed a solid race in Baku on Sunday, initially holding onto second place before losing a position to Mercedes’ George Russell during the pit stops phase.

From there the 31-year-old kept the other Silver Arrows car of Kimi Antonelli at bay as he crossed the line in third place, marking his first rostrum since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2024 – and Williams’ first since Russell’s P2 at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

“I think for the team [it was] a great result, so [I’m] very happy for Carlos,” Albon reflected after the race. “I think it’s a good result for him, and I’m very proud of the team as well. I feel like I definitely wasn’t there this weekend to pick up the pieces, but he did a great job.”

Sainz’s maiden season as a Williams driver has not always gone smoothly, with the four-time race winner facing some ups and downs throughout. When asked if the result felt like a repayment for the effort that Sainz has put in, Albon answered: “I mean, if you say so!

“I feel like he’s had a really strong year. It’s obviously not gone for him in a few races, and he hasn’t put a foot wrong this weekend. He’s been on it, the car’s been quick, he’s not made a mistake.

“He made it for himself in Qualifying and then clearly he’s executed a great race. I think no one in the team felt like he needed to prove it, but he’s done it anyway.”

As for Albon himself, the weekend in Baku proved to be more challenging. After clipping the barriers during Saturday’s Qualifying, the 29-year-old lined up at the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.

His prospects took a further hit when he collided with the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, an incident that he received a 10-second time penalty for. From there Albon struggled to make further gains and ultimately ended the race in P13.

“I think yesterday did the damage,” Albon conceded after the Grand Prix. “The deg [tyre degradation] was really low out there today, so unfortunately there wasn’t really much you could do to get past once it was a DRS train.

“It was a bit tricky and, yeah, obviously made contact with Franco – not ideal. I’ll hold my hand up.”