The list of Grand Prix podium finishers in 2025 now includes Carlos Sainz, Jr. It still doesn’t include the driver who replaced him at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton.

While Sainz was celebrating a third place for Williams that he called “even better” than his first in Formula 1, Hamilton was saying he “couldn’t really care less” about finishing eighth as his wait for a first top-three finish at Ferrari goes on.

“Definitely disappointed to come away with nothing,” Hamilton told Sky Sports after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton could point to some progress after starting 12th on the grid but the overall mood was disappointment after Ferrari had led the way in Friday’s second practice session, only to fall back into the middle of the pack. Teammate Charles Leclerc started 10th after a crash in qualifying and ended up ninth.

“Honestly, I felt so good in the car and ultimately we went in the wrong direction with the car. But our ultimate pace in the race was just not on par with the guys up ahead of us,” Hamilton said. “It was so hard to overtake here today.”

Hamilton’s time at Ferrari started with promise after a win in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in March but a double disqualification for him and Leclerc the following day pointed to setup issues which Ferrari has struggled to solve.

Vindication for Sainz

For Sainz, who left Ferrari for uncertainty at a Williams team which hadn’t been on the podium since 2021, his third place was a vindication of his new team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the pack again.

Sainz said it also showed he was standing out among the drivers who had to adapt to new teams for 2025, a category which also includes Hamilton.

“I think out of everyone that’s changed teams, which is not an easy task nowadays, I’ve been very competitive from the first race, very quick, but I didn’t have results with me,” he said.

“I didn’t have results to prove to myself, the team, and everyone that some good things were about to come. But, in the end, they did.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing