The list of Grand Prix podium finishers in 2025 now includes Carlos Sainz, Jr. It still doesn\u2019t include the driver who replaced him at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton. <\/p>\n
While Sainz was celebrating a third place for Williams that he called \u201ceven better\u201d than his first in Formula 1<\/a>, Hamilton was saying he \u201ccouldn\u2019t really care less\u201d about finishing eighth as his wait for a first top-three finish at Ferrari goes on. <\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely disappointed to come away with nothing,\u201d Hamilton told Sky Sports after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, 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,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cIt was so hard to overtake here today.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s time at Ferrari started with promise after a win in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in March but a double disqualification<\/a> for him and Leclerc the following day pointed to setup issues which Ferrari has struggled to solve.<\/p>\n Vindication for Sainz<\/p>\n For Sainz, who left Ferrari for uncertainty at a Williams team which hadn\u2019t been on the podium since 2021, his third place was a vindication of his new team\u2019s long-term plan to compete at the front of the pack again.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think out of everyone that\u2019s changed teams, which is not an easy task nowadays, I\u2019ve been very competitive from the first race, very quick, but I didn\u2019t have results with me,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have results to prove to myself, the team, and everyone that some good things were about to come. But, in the end, they did.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n