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It did not go unnoticed in the aftermath of Carlos Sainz's superb podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he has managed that feat for Williams before Lewis Hamilton has done the same at Ferrari. But the Spaniard insists that is "not my business", despite having lost his seat at the Scuderia to the seven-time Formula 1 champion.

Hamilton has endured a difficult first season with Ferrari since replacing Sainz. He found some early joy in a Sprint race victory in China but has yet to reach the podium in a Grand Prix, while the Italian outfit is the only one of the top four teams yet to win on a Sunday this year.

Similarly, things have been tricky for Sainz despite Williams enjoying their best season for a decade. The vast majority of their points have been scored by Alex Albon this year while his new team-mate has endured a lot of bad luck, but their first podium since 2021 was secured in Baku on Sunday by the Spaniard who finished third after qualifying on the front row.

But, speaking afterwards, he was uninterested in giving his take on the fact Hamilton has yet to manage that same feat since taking his place at Ferrari. "What everyone else does is not my business, to be honest," Sainz said.

"What I care about is that the first opportunity that I had to score a podium with Williams, and the first opportunity Williams had to score a podium, we took it, we scored it, and there it is. I think out of everyone who has changed teams - which is not an easy task nowadays - I have been very competitive from the first race, very quick, but I did not have results with me

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"I did not have results to prove to myself, the team, and everyone that some good things were about to come. But, in the end, they did. I think life has taught me many times that this sometimes happens - that you have a run of misfortune or bad performances, but then suddenly life gives you back if you keep working hard with something really sweet like this."

It was also a first podium for James Vowles as team principal of Williams, who flew home to visit the team factory and celebrate the success with staff. "It was absolutely incredible to see the sheer joy of so many people back at the factory upon my return from Baku," he wrote on social media.

"Sunday's podium was not just the work of Carlos, the engineers, mechanics, the rest of the race team and myself. Sunday's podium was a delivery of the unprecedented work that goes in day in, day out by the entire 1,000+ strong workforce that work for Atlassian Williams Racing. Enjoy this moment - I am confident this is just a small taste of what is to come on this journey."