Carlos Sainz has explained how the “punches in the stomach” he has endured in his debut Formula 1 campaign with Williams was cancelled out by his first podium for the team.
The Spaniard took third place last time out in Azerbaijan, which was his first top-three finish for the Grove-based squad, after a superb performance all weekend.
Not only was it a watershed moment for the team, its first podium in over four years, but also for Sainz, as it came after a year of torrid bad luck.
Despite Williams’ renewed strength and constant presence in the midfield battle, Sainz had, before Baku, had amassed only 21 points, with team-mate Alex Albon on 70.
And Sainz, speaking to media including Motorsport Week ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, explained the frustration had been feeling all season long prior to his magical Baku breakthrough.
“It was certainly very tough, probably one of the toughest psychologically moments of my career in terms of how much setbacks I had to deal with through the season,” he said.
“For me, it was particularly tough after the summer break because I came back from the summer break full of energy, full of motivation, just refreshed with a bit of a new mindset, new approach.
“I did two strong qualis in Baku and Monza, I was running still in good positions both in Baku and Monza and in both times consecutively, the same pattern that in the first half of the season happened.
“So I was like, ‘OK, I’ve changed my approach, I am full of energy’ and now two consecutive setbacks to bring me down again. So it was certainly not easy at all and very frustrating.
“I think you were starting to see it also in me, how frustrating I was starting to get. But I kept the foot down and in the end the result paid off and I think just in that sense, just happy and proud of resilience because to come back from the summer break with refreshed energy and get two big punches in the stomach and have to do it all over again was tough.
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