Claire Williams sends message to Carlos Sainz after Azerbaijan GP breakthrough
Claire Williams has claimed that she once tried to convince Carlos Sainz to join Williams
Claire Williams has congratulated Carlos Sainz and the Williams team following their podium finish at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
And she remarked that her late father and team founder Sir Frank Williams would have been “very proud” of the achievement.
Claire Williams ‘very proud’ as Carlos Sainz claims first podium with Williams
Sainz joined Williams from Ferrari at the start of the F1 2025 season in what was regarded as a major coup for the Grove-based team.
However, the Spaniard has largely struggled across his first campaign with his new team, trailing teammate Alex Albon on points by a considerable margin.
Sainz enjoyed something of a breakthrough weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, lining up second on the grid after a chaotic qualifying session.
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The 31-year-old converted his strong starting position into his first podium finish for Williams, the team’s first since George Russell was classified second in the shortened Belgian Grand Prix of 2021.
In a post to social media, Ms Williams offered her congratulations to both driver and team.
She wrote: “So many congratulations to Carlos Sainz and everyone at Williams Racing after their podium. I know Frank would be very proud! As am I!”
Ms Williams comments come after she revealed earlier this year that she held talks about bringing Sainz to the team during her stint in charge between 2013 and 2020.
It is unclear when exactly Ms Williams entered negotiations with Sainz, who made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 before spells with Renault (now Alpine), McLaren and Ferrari.
She told the official F1 website in March: “Carlos Sainz to Williams is such a brilliant story. I spent a bit of time trying to negotiate with Carlos to come to the team when I was running it.
“It’s now 10 years later and he’s finally made it there.”
After selling the Williams team to Dorilton Capital in 2020, Ms Williams has stepped up her return to F1 activities in recent times.
Having appeared as a pundit in recent series of Drive to Survive, the hit Netflix docuseries, she secured an ambassadorial role with Williams team sponsor Santander in March.
The Spanish bank has close links to Sainz and followed the Madrid-born star from Ferrari to Williams at the end of 2024, agreeing a multi-year partnership with the Grove team.
Ms Williams also returned to the F1 paddock by appearing as a pundit during UK broadcaster Channel 4’s television coverage of the British Grand Prix in July.
The 49-year-old paid a visit to the garage of her former team, as well as watching the race from the Williams hospitality unit.
More on Carlos Sainz and Williams from PlanetF1.com
In an exclusive interview earlier this month, Ms Williams insisted that she has no intention of returning to F1 in a senior role, but left the door open to more punditry and ambassadorial work.
Reflecting on her Channel 4 appearance, she said: “It was really overwhelming in many ways.
“I’d stayed away since 2020 and to walk back into that environment at Silverstone, not with the weight of responsibility but with the opportunity to just enjoy it, was very emotional.
“I could take in the atmosphere, see people I hadn’t seen in years and actually breathe it all in. It felt like a very different experience and one I really enjoyed.
“Right now, it feels like a very special one-off. I was honoured to be asked to join Channel 4 for their coverage and I loved being part of it. But I don’t see myself going back into a leadership role in F1.
“I stepped away when I did for very important reasons.
“That said, I love the sport, I’ll always love the sport. And if I can contribute in other ways – through commentary, through ambassadorial work – I’d be delighted.
“When I left, it was incredibly painful.
“Williams was my family’s life and my life for so long and stepping away left a huge void.
“But in the years since, I’ve found real happiness in my personal life – becoming a mother, spending more time with my family.
“Going back to Silverstone didn’t reopen wounds. If anything, it gave me a chance to look at it all differently.
“I could appreciate the sport, the atmosphere, the people without the pressure that came with running the team.
“It felt more like closure than anything else and a really positive one at that.”
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